High School

Algebra 1

Algebra 1 provides students the basic tools necessary to progress in the academic sequence of high school mathematics: simplifying expressions, solving equations, solving algebraic word problems, polynomials and factoring, solving quadratic equations, systems of equations, rational expressions, and simplifying radicals.

Text: Glencoe Algebra 1, McGraw Hill.

Geometry

Honors and College Prep

Geometry provides students with an understanding of spatial relationships with regard to shape and measurement and it is a first introduction to mathematical proof and logic. Areas covered include: geometric definitions and postulates; lines and planes; angle relationships; triangle congruence and similarity; right triangle trig; circles; proofs relating to the preceding topics; basic constructions; area; perimeter, surface area, and volume of figures and solids.

Text: Geometry, Holt McDougal.

Algebra II

Honors and College Prep

Algebra 2 revisits key skills related to equation solving, graphing lines, and systems of equations, while also incorporating the use of matrices. The course uses functions to introduce polynomial and radical expressions, quadratics (including conic sections), as well as exponentials and logarithms.

Text: Glencoe Algebra 2, McGraw Hill.

Pre-Calculus

Honors

AP Statistics is offered to juniors or seniors who have completed Pre-Calculus. Main themes include organizing data and relationships, producing data, probability, and inference. At year’s end, students may take the AP Stats exam for college credit.

Text: Yates, Moore, and Starnes The Practice of Statistics, 10^th Ed., W.H. Freeman & Co.

AP Statistics

AP Statistics is offered to juniors or seniors who have completed Pre-Calculus. Main themes include organizing data and relationships, producing data, probability, and inference. At year’s end, students may take the AP Stats exam for college credit.

Text: Yates, Moore, and Starnes The Practice of Statistics, 10^th Ed., W.H. Freeman & Co.

Calculus

honors

This is a comprehensive year-long calculus course that includes topics such as limits and continuity, derivatives and their applications, the definite integral and their applications, and mathematical modeling. While it addresses similar concepts to AP Calculus, the course is structured to be slightly less intensive and progresses at a more measured pace.

Text: Finney, Demana, Waits, Kennedy, Bressoud Calculus: Graphical, Numerical, Algebraic, 5th Edition, Pearson.

AP Calculus AB

Advanced Placement Calculus is taught as a full year Calculus course, covering the topics that are necessary to take the Calculus AB exam. These include: limits and continuity; derivatives; applications of derivatives; the definite integral; differential equations and mathematical modeling; and applications of definite integrals. Taking the AP exam is not required, but highly encouraged.

Text: Finney, Demana, Waits, Kennedy, Bressoud Calculus: Graphical, Numerical, Algebraic, Pearson, 5th Edition.

AP Calculus BC

AP Calculus BC is a full year course that adds depth to the concepts taught in Calculus AB, and extends techniques of integration, infinite integrals, sequences and series and tests for convergence, as well as the calculus of parametric, polar, and vector functions.   Students are expected to take the AP Calculus BC exam at the end of the year.   This course completes the Calculus I/II sequence.

Text: Finney, Demana, Waits, Kennedy, Bressoud Calculus: Graphical, Numerical, Algebraic, Pearson, 6th Edition. Garner The AP Calculus Problem Book.

Biology

Honors and college prep

Biology is the study of the characteristics of living organisms. Students gain a basic understanding of the major principles of biology including basic biochemistry, cell structure and function, heredity, evolution and ecology. The scientific method is used to solve problems and complete lab assignments. The honors section will study topics in greater depth and complete extra lab work compared to the CP section.

Text: Biology, Kenneth Miller and Joseph Levine, Prentice Hall, 2017.

Chemistry

honors and college prep

The goal of this course is to provide a strong foundation in chemistry, by integrating conceptual understanding with quantitative problem-solving. Hands-on laboratory investigations with formal lab reports are included to enhance understanding and strengthen organizational, analytical and communication skills. The Honors Course covers a larger scope of material and in more depth than the College Prep section; the Honors Course is a pre-requisite for Advanced Placement Chemistry.

Honors Text: Chemistry: Atoms First, 3rd Edition, Burdge and Overly, McGraw Hill 2018.
CP Text: Inspire Chemistry, McGraw Hill, 2020.

AP Chemistry

This course is equivalent to a college-level general chemistry course and is designed to prepare students for the AP Chemistry examination. Emphasis is placed on developing a solid understanding of fundamental chemistry concepts; strengthening analytical, problem-solving and communication skills; and enhancing laboratory skills and experiences. In addition to revisiting pre-requisite concepts in more depth, topics include thermochemistry, kinetics, equilibrium, acid/base and solubility equilibria, thermodynamics and electrochemistry.

Text: Chemistry: The Central Science, 13th Edition, AP Edition. Brown, LeMay, Bursten, Murphy, Woodward, and Stoltzfus. Pearson, 2015.

Physics

honors

This course aims to create a strong and symbiotic relationship between conceptual understanding and problem solving. Algebra, trigonometry, laboratory investigations and demonstrations are used to develop an understanding of elements of classical mechanics, thermodynamics, oscillations and waves, optics, electricity and magnetism, and relativity.

Text: Physics, 1^st Edition, by James S. Walker, Pearson 2014.

Physics

college prep

This course is taught as a survey of the various branches of physics including mechanics, properties of matter, heat, electricity and magnetism, sound and light. A solid conceptual approach emphasizes an understanding of the basic laws of nature. Laboratory investigations and demonstrations allow students to experience phenomena before trying to quantify them.

Text: Conceptual Physics, 10th Edition, by Paul G. Hewitt, Pearson Addison Wesley, 2006.

AP Physics C

The course is equivalent to a pre-engineering, calculus-based physics course for first year college students, including a variety of topics in Mechanics, Electricity, and Magnetism. Opportunities for collaborative learning are provided primarily in the lab setting where a variety of methods are applied (Vernier technology, inquiry-based investigations, virtual experiments). Communication of the students’ analysis and conclusions is given through written reports and/or class presentations.

Text: Fundamentals of Physics, 11^th Edition, by Halliday, Resnik, Walker, Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2018.

Anatomy and Physiology

honors

Students will study the structure and function of organ systems in the human body. Course themes will include the relationship between structure and function, change in structure and function through time, homeostatic mechanisms operating in each system and processes occurring at all levels of organization, especially biochemical and cellular, that affect the whole body for each system. Students will complete laboratory exercises including the study of models, microscope slides, Vernier sensors, and dissections.

Text: Hole’s Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology, 12^th Edition, by Shier, Butler, and Lewis, McGraw Hill 2015.

Ancient and Medieval Literature

Honors and College Prep

This course introduces students to the rich heritage of ancient Greek and medieval literature so that they may better appreciate the roots and achievements of the Western tradition. Course readings serve as a springboard for both discussion and thoughtful response in the writing of a variety of compositions. The primary goals for students are to develop greater skills in the art of reading critically and writing cogently. A research paper is written in conjunction with the freshman History class.

Texts: Vocabulary Workshop Level E, Sadlier-Oxford; Warriner’s Grammar and Composition; Elements of Style; The Iliad, Homer; The Odyssey, Homer; Beowulf; Song of Roland; Macbeth, Shakespeare.

American Literature

Honors and College Prep

The aim of this course is to familiarize the student with writers who have sought to articulate the American dream and experience. Daily reading assignments serve as the seed for both discussion and reflective and critical writing.

Texts: The American Experience; Vocabulary Workshop Level F, Sadlier-Oxford; Elements of Style; The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne; Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain; The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald; The Crucible, Miller; The Glass Menagerie, Williams. Additionally, this course familiarizes students with essayists such as Franklin, Emerson, Thoreau, and E.B. White; poets such as Longfellow, Dickinson, Whitman, Cummings and Frost; short story writers such as Poe, Bierce, London, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Faulkner, Welty, and O’Connor.

British Literature

honors and college prep

This course is a broad survey of British Literature from the 19th and 20th centuries, featuring writers from the Romantic, Victorian and Modern eras. Texts are studied in their historical and cultural context so students may discuss and understand what they teach us about the development of literature and culture and how it influences our world today. Students develop their own writing style through regular in-class writing prompts, creative writing assignments, and literary analysis papers.

Texts: Vocabulary Workshop Level G, Sadlier-Oxford. Norton Anthology of English Literature. Elements of Style. Pride and Prejudice, Austen. A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens. The Secret Sharer/The Heart of Darkness, Conrad. The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde. Things Fall Apart, Achebe.  Additionally, this course covers poets such as Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, Keats, Browning; playwrights such as Beckett, Wilde and Shakespeare; and short story writers such as Kipling, Joyce, Lawrence, Mansfield, Woolf and Orwell.

World Literature

AP and Honors

This course provides a survey of American Literature beginning with the Puritans and continuing through the Modern Era. Students read and discuss texts by writers who have sought to articulate the American dream and experience. Analytical and creative writing assignments allow students to reinforce composition skills while developing an authentic voice.

Texts: Elements of Style; Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, Vols. 1-2; The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Stories, Charters, 7^th Ed.; Oedipus Rex, Sophocles; The Divine Comedy (The Inferno), Dante; Tartuffe, Moliere; Don Quixote selections, Cervantes; Hamlet, or King Lear, Shakespeare; Candide, Voltaire; Cyrano de Bergerac, Rostand; Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky; The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Tolstoy; The Metamorphoses, Kafka; Cry, the Beloved Country, Paton.

Journalism

elective

The purpose of this two-day elective is to publish the school newspaper, The Dumb Ox, monthly. Students learn the fundamentals of writing news stories, features, and editorials as well as elements of newspaper design and layout.

Creative Writing

elective

This senior elective allows students to express their creativity by writing short stories, poetry, fairy tales, devotions, essays and other short works.  Students learn characterization, imagery, plot development, voice and numerous other creative writing techniques.

Texts: Elements of Style; Writing Fiction in High School.

Ancient and Medieval History

honors

This course is a survey of Western civilization from Ancient Greece through the Renaissance. While the course is a survey, “the great conversation” that has characterized Western culture is continued in this class. The ideas of justice, virtue, church/state relations, etc. have played major role in the development of our civilization. Extensive use of primary sources helps the students gain a more direct contact with the past, rather than through the historian’s sometimes distorted lens. Reading, class discussion, and the writing of papers and essays make up the bulk of the course work.

Texts: The West Transformed: A History of Western Civilization: Volume A, To 1500 Harcourt Brace. Sources of the Western Tradition: Volume I from Ancient Times to the Enlightenment Wadsworth.

United States History

AP and Honors

This course is a survey of United States History from the Age of European Exploration to the present. In order to gain a proper understanding of who we are as Americans, it is important to examine how we have arrived at this point in history. Therefore, the main goal of the course is to give the student knowledge and an appreciation of US History, thus enabling the students to know themselves more fully. The secondary goal for the course is to provide the students who choose to take the AP test the opportunity to do well.

AP Text: American Pageant. 17th ed., Volumes 1 & 2 by David Kennedy and Lizabeth Cohen.
Honors Text: Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story by Wilfred McClay, 2019.

European History

AP and Honors

The study of European History builds upon the freshman year course beginning with the Renaissance and Reformation. The student explores the tumultuous change and upheaval with the breakdown of Christendom and the medieval order. It is the popular opinion of many modern historians that the Renaissance (and the Enlightenment) brought about a re-birth of culture and civilization to a continent long stumbling through the dark ages following the fall of Rome. It is imperative to understand both the relationship between Europe and the Church and the underpinning European philosophies of order and history at war with the Church in modern times for a student to understand both the continuity and truth of Western Civilization

Text: Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western Civilization. 10th ed., Cengage Learning, 2018.

American Government

AP and Honors

Aristotle held that man was not only a social animal, but also a political animal. The political life therefore is part of the nature of the human person.  We are made to be in community with others necessitating a political realm. AP American Government is an advanced course examining the roots of our political nature, philosophy of government, the foundations of the American political system, and the role of the Constitution in our lives as American citizens.  The course challenges the student to critically examine the American project, our “brand” of democracy, and the current political scene.  Such is one benefit of freedom of speech!  Do not be afraid to contribute and listen openly to others.

Text: American Government by James Q. Wilson and John DeJulio.

Economics

Elective

This semester long course focuses on macroeconomics and how and why governments make fiscal decisions.  This course includes a unit on personal finance.

Political Ideologies of the 20^th Century

Elective

This semester long course focuses on the political ideologies, which rose out of the sociopolitical turmoil of the 19^th century. This course will present and scrutinize the political movements of the 20^th century (socialism, communism, fascism, and globalism) not only through the historical facts, but also through literary works.

Text: Clayton, G. E. (2016). Understanding Economics. Columbus, OH: McGraw-Hill Education.

Constitutional Law

Elective

This semester-long course is intended to give students a strong working knowledge of their fundamental civil liberties under the U.S. Constitution, particularly their rights of free speech and religion. It introduces students to many of the key US. Supreme Court cases relating to these liberties and the Court's methods of legal analysis.

Text: American Constitutional Law, 18th Edition, by A. Mason and D. Stephenson, 2022.

Latin I

Honors

The aim of this course and all subsequent Latin courses is to improve the student’s ability to think, speak, and write coherently and cogently, while introducing the student to foundational ideas that form Western Civilization. Where appropriate, attention is given to how our Catholic Christian Faith affirms or corrects these ideas from antiquity. This course gives students the skills and knowledge needed to read Classical literature in the original Latin. To this end, students are introduced to Latin vocabulary and morphology (word forms). In addition, through the reading and composing of Latin sentences, students understand various points of syntax (i.e., the grammatical relations words have to each other in a clause) - a must for reading Latin literature.

Text: Wheelock’s Latin, 7th Edition, by Frederic M. Wheelock and Richard A. LaFleur, Collins Reference.

Latin II

Honors

This this course continues the trajectory begun in the first year: to give students the skills and knowledge needed to read Classical literature in the original Latin. Second year Latin presents more vocabulary and morphology (word forms) for the student to master, advanced verb tenses and voices, as well as complex forms of nouns. In addition, through the reading and composing of Latin sentences, students are expected to understand the various points of syntax presented in this course.

Text: Wheelock’s Latin, 7th Edition, by Frederic M. Wheelock and Richard A. LaFleur, Collins Reference.

Latin III

Honors

Latin III course give the students the skills and knowledge needed to read Classical literature in the original Latin.  To this end, in addition to vocabulary, morphology, and syntax, this course also supplies the student with drills, exercises, and carefully graded passages on which to best develop these skills. Special emphasis is placed on the usage of subjunctive clauses and Latin composition. Furthermore, an emphasis is placed on understanding the sense of the language - that is, on how the language achieves meaning—rather than on the mere memorization of its forms.

Text: Cambridge Latin Course, Unit 3. Cambridge Press.

Latin IV

Honors

Latin IV course is to continue to give students the advanced skills and knowledge needed to read Classical literature in the original Latin.  In addition to a continuation of the drills, exercises, and carefully passages used to develop these vocabulary, morphology and syntax, Latin IV introduces students to simplified passages from classical authors. Furthermore, an emphasis is placed on understanding the sense of the language - that is, on how the language achieves meaning - rather than on the mere memorization of its forms. By the end of this course, students should have a general overview of the Latin grammar, and be comfortable reading passages from Roman literature.

Text: Cambridge Latin Course, Unit 4. Cambridge Press.

Latin V Reading

Honors

Latin V is an introductory reading course in Classical Latin literature.  Students are guided through a close reading of continuous passages of ancient prose and verse, paying close attention to both rhetorical style, as well as to the themes and ideas that not only give shape to the literary work, but also often reverberate from Antiquity to the present day.

Text: Caesar selections from his Commentarii De Bello Gallico, Ovid Amores, Metamorphoses. Scipio Africanus The Conqueror of Hannibal: Selections from Livy Books XXVI-XXX, Catullus: Expanded Edition. A Horace Reader for Advanced Placement.

AP Latin Reading

honors

AP Latin students read large sections of Vergil’s Aeneid, as well as of Caesar’s Commentarii De Bello Gallico as stipulated by The College Board in preparation for the AP exam.

Text: Vergil’s Aeneid. Caesar selections from his Commentarii De Bello Gallico.

Spanish I

This is an introductory course that emphasizes the four essential language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students engage in conversation, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, tell time, state likes and dislikes. Students interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics. Cultural information is incorporated into the curriculum throughout the year.

Text and Workbook: ¡Qué Chévere! 1, EMC Publishing.

Spanish II

This is an intermediate course that expands upon the themes and grammatical concepts learned in Spanish I. Students progress from communicating in the present tense to communicating in the future and past tenses. Strong emphasis is placed on the development of the students’ listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Through the study of culturally oriented readings, music, and pictures, students gain knowledge and understanding of Hispanohablante cultures and communities around the world.

Text and Workbook: ¡Qué Chévere! 2, EMC Publishing.

Spanish III

This course continues to reinforce the four essential language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. There is a communicative approach in which students learn to function as accurately as possible in situations they are most likely to encounter either in a Spanish speaking country or with Spanish speakers in the United States. Students express their ideas in the verb tenses previously introduced and become proficient in new verb tenses. Cultural information is incorporated into the curriculum throughout the year.

Text and Workbook: ¡Qué Chévere! 3, EMC Publishing.

Spanish IV

Spanish IV focuses on further refining the students’ proficiency in the four essential language skills: speaking, reading, writing, and listening. Students will exchange and support opinions on a variety of topics which require an extensive knowledge of vocabulary and grammatical concepts. Spanish is used to access information in other subject areas and to compare and contrast cultural and linguistic elements of Spanish speaking cultures with their own.

Text and Workbook: ¡Qué Chévere! 4, EMC Publishing

French I

This is an introductory course that emphasizes the four essential language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students engage in conversation, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions. Students interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics. Cultural information is incorporated into the curriculum throughout the year.

Text and workbook: T’es branché? 1, EMC Publishing

French II

This is an intermediate course that expands upon the themes and grammatical concepts learned in French I. Students progress from communicating in the present tense to communicating in the future and past tenses. Strong emphasis is placed on the development of the students’ listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Through the study of culturally oriented readings, music, and pictures, students gain knowledge and understanding of Francophone cultures and communities around the world.

Text and workbook: T’es branché? 2, EMC Publishing.

French III

This course expands upon the themes and grammatical concepts acquired in French II. Students learn to communicate as accurately as possible in situations they are most likely to encounter in a French speaking country or with French speakers in the United States. Students express their thoughts and opinions in the verb tenses previously learned and become proficient in additional verb tenses. Students continue to develop their understanding of Francophone cultures and communities through the study of culturally oriented readings, music, and pictures.

Text and workbook: T’es branché? 3, EMC Publishing.

French IV

French IV focuses on further refining the students’ proficiency in the four essential language skills: speaking, reading, writing, and listening. Students will exchange and support opinions on a variety of topics which require an extensive knowledge of vocabulary and grammatical concepts. French is used to access information in other subject areas and to compare and contrast cultural and linguistic elements of Francophone cultures with their own.

Text and workbook: Bon Voyage-Glencoe French 4, Glencoe/McGraw Hill.

New Testament and Christology

The freshman year in Theology is a study of the New Testament and the Church’s Christological
doctrines. After an introduction to the Bible as an inspired and inerrant text, students get an overview of the covenants of salvation history and the world of the New Testament. This serves as preparation for an extended, in-depth study of four sacred authors: Matthew (Gospel), Luke (Gospel and Acts of the Apostles), Paul (Letter to the Romans) and John (Gospel and Revelation). Students will gain literacy with the New Testament texts, learn what is unique to the Catholic understanding of Scripture, and grow in their knowledge of the Church’s understanding of the person of Jesus Christ. “Apologetical Explanations” based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church that are included in the Didache edition of the Bible are utilized to help students grow in their knowledge of the Church’s teachings in a way that emphasizes the relationship between Scripture and Tradition. Through this study, the students will grow in their devotion to Scripture and in the practice of reading Scripture with the heart and mind of the Church.

Texts: New Testament Basics for Catholics, John Bergsma; Ave Maria Press. The Didache Bible (Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition); Ignatius Press.

Old Testament and Church History

This 10th Grade Theology course offers an in-depth exploration of the Old Testament and Church
History, designed to help students grow in their understanding of the Catholic faith and its foundational role in the story of salvation. Students will engage with the Bible as the inspired and inerrant Word of God, learning about the relationship between Scripture and Tradition and the methods the Church provides for interpreting Scripture faithfully.  The Old Testament is introduced as a chronicle of salvation history through a series of divine covenants, all of which anticipate the new and everlasting covenant in Jesus Christ. Students will learn how various events and figures in the Old Testament prefigure their New Testament fulfillment. In the Church History component, students will study the resilience of the Church across the centuries, examining how the Church has navigated challenges, both internal and external, from the early Christians’ witness through martyrdom to the Church’s experiences in the modern world, including its influence in America. Discussions will prepare the students to engage thoughtfully with their faith in the contemporary world.

Texts: Understanding the Scriptures, Dr. Scott Hahn; Didache Series, Midwest Theological Forum. The Didache Bible (Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition); Ignatius Press. The Resilient Church, Mike Aquilina, The Word Among Us Press.

Morality and Sacraments

The first semester introduces students to the rich tradition of Catholic Moral Theology. Students first learn “meta-ethics” which includes topics such as objective vs. subjective morality, the final end of the human being, the components of a moral action, and the nature of law, conscience, freedom, virtue, and sin. Then we turn to a study of “applied-ethics” which includes analyzing important moral topics such as proper relationship to God, use of language, respect for authority, issues of life, human sexuality, lying, and proper relationship to created goods.

The second semester starts with a nine-week study of the Church (Ecclesiology). Students will explore the nature, mission and founding of the Catholic Church. Topics such as the Four Marks of the Church, the dual spiritual and corporeal nature of Christ’s Mystical Body, the authority and infallibility of the Magisterium, the necessity of the Church for salvation, and the various divisions of membership within Christ’s Body will be studied. The remainder of the semester students will study the seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church. Topics such as the necessity of the sacraments, grace, ceremonies and rites, along with the proper dispositions necessary to fruitfully receive the Sacraments will be covered in depth. 

Texts: Our Moral Life in Christ, Dr. Scott Hahn; Didache Series. Introduction to Catholicism: A Complete Course, Dr. Scott Hahn; Didache Series. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, and The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

Marriage, Family and Social Teaching

In the senior year, students are given a systematic review of the Church’s teaching in the Nicene Creed. Students are presented with material that explicates the doctrines of the Church found in the Creed. Supplemental text material comes from The Faith by Fr. John Hardon, S.J. Next, students are instructed in the Church’s teachings on marriage and family, Pope John Paul II’s ‘Theology of the Body’, contraception and other issues related to marriage and the generation of life. Instruction in the Church’s Social Doctrine follows, with attention to the nature of property and its ownership, the Common Good, Solidarity and Subsidiarity, the social nature of the human person and his or her intrinsic dignity. In presenting the Church’s Social Teaching to students, one aim is to help students discern the errors of modern ideologies, particularly the various forms of ‘woke-isms’ and other ‘isms’ besetting society today. The final section of the course takes up C.S. Lewis’s The Last Battle, the seventh book in the Chronicles of Narnia, in order to give students hope and joy about their destiny in heaven, as well to give them courage in the suffering that inevitably comes from witnessing to Jesus Christ as one’s Lord and Savior.

Texts: Catechism of the Catholic Church; Rerum Novarum (Encyclical Letter of Pope Leo XIII); Men and Women are from Eden: Study Guide to John Paul II’s Theology of the Body by Dr. Mary Healy; Humanae Vitae (Encyclical Letter of Pope Paul IV on contraception).

Philosophy of the Human Person

Within the context of the Catholic understanding of the relationship between faith and reason, this course provides an introduction to philosophy of the human person. The students read Plato’s Apology, Crito, and Phaedo, Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Boethius’ The Consolation of Philosophy, and selections from the Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas, and are introduced to Pope John Paul II’s personalist philosophy. Students will discuss key issues such as the nature of the human person and the good life, divine foreknowledge and free will, and the problem of evil. Several topics in bioethics are discussed by examining opposing positions in order to see the profoundly different understandings of the human person that underlie them. The course ends with a brief exploration of aesthetics and the importance of beauty for the human person.

Introduction to Western Philosophy

This course offers students a thoughtful exploration of some of the most influential thinkers in the Western intellectual tradition. Rooted in both philosophical inquiry and theological reflection, the course seeks to illuminate the profound relationship between philosophy and theology, and how both shape our understanding of the world and human existence. Through the works of key philosophers such as Augustine, Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Kant and Descartes, as well as contemporary voices like Bishop Robert Barron, and Alasdair MacIntyre, students will engage with timeless questions about the nature of truth, the human person, ethics, and the existence of God. By the end of the course, students will gain an appreciation for how philosophy has shaped both Western culture and Catholic theology, and how these philosophical insights continue to influence contemporary debates on morality, society, and the meaning of life. This course invites students not only to explore the great ideas of the past but to understand their relevance in the world today.

Art

The goals for the High School Art course are: to develop age appropriate exercise so students gain experience in the use of different, more advanced artistic techniques; to familiarize students with the successive art history periods, including art history terminology and symbolism in art works; to provide the opportunity for the students to focus on their artistic skill of preference; and to push their creative boundaries and problem solving skills.

Mixed Media

Elective

The Mixed Media class offers an advanced Art class for Juniors and Seniors that are interested and excited about Art.  Projects may include more advanced forms of oil painting, photorealistic drawing, multi-color relief printmaking and a student designed project plus many more options.  Special attention is given to the design process and creative choices made during the art making process.  This class is an option for students considering a career in the Art industry or for the student that thoroughly enjoys the process of making art.

Computer Applications

Elective

Introduction to Microsoft Excel (semester long course)

In this course, students will use Microsoft Excel spreadsheets in three ways. First, they will present data through creating meaningful graphs. This will include two data sets on the same axes, trendlines, correlation coefficients and overall graph design. Next, students will use equations and predefined Excel formulas to create spreadsheets that function as calculation tools such as gradebooks or an invoice. Finally, students will learn how to take unsorted collections of data and find trends and relationships through both reorganization and then through Excel’s pivot table tool.

Computer Design

Elective

Computer Aided Design (semester long course)

In this course, students will learn the basics of creating objects using CAD software and then making those objects a reality through 3D printing and laser cutting. Students will start with a straightforward design of a box with a lid and work their way up to a smooth coasting, Kleenex box sized car that will compete against the other students for speed and accuracy. In the final exam project, students have three class periods to design and build a small house with furniture to match!

Computer Programming

Elective

Java (full year course)

The computer programming course is designed for students who intend to major in any math, science or engineering related field of study. This course can be taken for three college credits from the University of Pittsburgh. The course covers the foundations of procedural programming and introduces object-oriented programming. Students will complete programming projects such as a basic encryption, probability modeling, and score keeping apps through the use of arrays. The course focuses on the algorithms behind the running of the code and not the design of the user interface.