Math & Science
Algebra
Algebra II
Geometry
Pre-Calculus
Calculus I
Calculus II
Physics
Chemistry
Biology/Genetics
Human Anatomy
English (Great Books program)
- basic grammar & analysis summer course prior first semester for freshmen & transfers
- organization of thoughts in essay/research form
- upper level courses dedicated to logic combined with literature analysis
- senior "thesis" demonstrating mastery of grammar, vetting of first/secondary sources and thought organization
History/Government (Great Books implemented)
Early Civilization (Ancient Societies)
Modern Civilization (rise of the modern world)
American History
Western European History I (England, Ireland, Spain, France & Germany)
Eastern European History II (Russia)
US Government
Local & State Government
City & State History
US Military History
Business/Economics
Basic Accounting (elective)
Basic Financial Management (with talks about investment & banking)
Macroecnomics (year long)
Entrepreneurship (junior/senior)
Religion (year long)
Religion I (History of the Roman Catholic Church + Understanding the Extraordinary Form)
Religion II (Scripture Interpretation + Bible Versions)
Religion III (Philosophy of the Sacraments)
Religion IV (St. Thomas Aquinas Metaphysics)
Ethics & Morality
Communications
Speech I (meets once a week for 1hr 15min.) - year long
Speech II (meets once a week for 1hr 15min.) - year long
Into to Radio/Broadcasting/Creative Media (elective)
Audio/Video Production (elective, prereq Intro to R/B/C)
Broadcast Ethics (elective)
Broadcast Performance (elective)
Foreign Language (since I live in a heavy Polish area, Polish is included)
French I-IV
Spanish I-IV
Polish I-IV
Latin I, II
Visual & Performing Arts (Western focus)
Art History I (early movements)
Art History II (modern movements)
Sculpture
Intro to Drawing & Painting (year long)
Intermediate Drawing & Painting (year long)
Advance Drawing & Painting (year long)
Men's Fashion (elective)
Photography I (year long)
Photography II (year long)
Band (concert & symphonic)
Jazz Band
Marching Band
Guitar I (elective)
Intermediate Guitar (elective)
Piano I (elective)
Intermediate Piano (elective)
Men's Glee Club
Drama/Film (junior/senior)
Computer Science
History of Technology (computers, phones, social media)
Coding (HTML, CSS, Javascript) - year long
Programming (PHP, Python, C++, SQL) - year long
Graphic Design (Adobe)
Physical Education
Nutrition I + workout (year long)
Nutrition II + workout (year long)
Weightlifting I
Weightlifting II
Vocational
Car Mechanics
Bicycle Mechanics (elective)
Woodwork (elective)
Apprentice Carpentry (elective)
Apprentice Electrician (elective)
Apprentice Plumbing (elective)
Apprentice Welding (elective)
Besides athletics, the following will enrich the student life.
Student Activites (these are 'core' activities; any student wanting to create a special interest group must petition & be approved by Activity Committee)
Speech & Debate
Model UN
Scholastic Bowl
Mathletes
Gardening Club
Broadcasting Club
Computer Building Club
Digital Start-up Club
Prayer Group
Catholics for Life
Baby Politicians
Classics Club
Chess Club
Film Club
Big Brother
WYSE
Latin Club
Graffiti Club
Slam Poetry
B-boying
Anime Club
Finance Club
Gun & Ammo Club
Publications
Student Newspaper (focusing on education trends, local, city & state level politics)
Literary Magazine (poetry & short stories)
Yearbook
Leadership
Student Government
Class Government
Activity Committee
Survivor
leadership talks from staff, Sisters, Brothers, priests and community leaders
Spirituality
monthly masses (Extraordinary Form)
junior/senior retreat (Kairos)
Service
summer service trips to New Orleans, Appalachians
soup kitchen - year long
food & clothing drives - year long
tutoring to young children
Athletics
Baseball
Basketball
Football
Soccer
Track & Field
Cross-Country
Tennis
Wrestling
Hockey
Bowling
Lacrosse
Golf
Rugby
School Traditions
Rucksack Run for Charity
Mother/Son Dinner Dance
Multicultural Week
Awards Night
Black & Gold Games (school colors are black and gold)
Other
Mother's Club
Father's Club
Religious Ministry
The high school I went to were associated with Edmund Rice's Christian Brothers. Since I graduated they have moved off campus (for reasons I do not know) and have dwindled in numbers. I do not believe they have had any new discerning souls. If I ever become president of my high school I'd petition for Brothers to come and to teach - that is if teaching is their apostolate, and if they're competent enough to execute the given curriculum.
If I cannot do this or if there aren't any interests from the Brothers themselves then I'd need to hire a new set of religious order, therefore breaking the Irish connection between the order and the school's saint by which it was named after, with an order dedicated to teaching preparatory and AP classes, and service to the poor. What's sad is the school is a relatively young private school when compared to others since it opened in the late 1950s, just a few years before the Sexual Revolution. When I walked through its doors as a student, the number of Brothers that worked in the school were only a handful, and many of them today are retired if not dead.
Student population
Ideally I would like the total student population to be no larger than 1,400 yet no small than 1,200. A class of 350 students per year seems like the right amount - it was approximately the size I graduated with.
Campus layout
It would resemble a small liberal arts school, but unlike a typical layout of that kind it would be more compact. I'd combine the following disciplines together.
Building 1: Foreign Language, History/Government, Business/Economics
Building 2: Science/Math, Computer Science, Religion
Building 3: English, Communications, Visual & Performing Arts
Building 4: Vocational, Gym, Cafeteria
Building 5: Library, The Forum
Building 6: Admissions, Financial Aide, Gifts & Fundraising, Institution Development, Academic/Personal/College Counseling
Building 7: Brothers' living quarters
Building 8: Chapel
Buildings 1-6 will surround the chapel and Brothers' living quarters making the layout into a wagon wheel.
Issues I have with my high school
The new president is a West Point graduate who received his MBA from a university not known for its MBA program. He took over the job in the summer of 2012. I do not have issues with his educational credentials. The issues I have is his vision for the school. Now, I haven't taken much interest in my high school since I graduated, which was a handful of years ago, and only did its existence inspired me to write this post after the retirement of the school's band director.
Apparently, from fellow graduates that the high school has "improved" since the he came on board. Good. What does this "good" actually mean? Better sports programs? Has the school graduated more students on full athletic scholarships before? TImproved ACT scores overall? Are new teachers replacing our legendary ones and continuing their activities (e.g. English teacher ran a spectacular drama course that was historical/comparative in nature; another English teacher did the senior honors class as a mixture of logic and literature analysis; and a History teacher taught a course on our city's history)? This what made my experience unique, and when I talked about this to my peers in college they expressed awe and wished they had that type of teacher available to them. Mind you, when I had these teachers they were about a few years away from retiring.
The answers to these questions remain open.
1. Music is a secondary thought. Since the school's band has shrunken to embarrassing low numbers since I've graduated, aided with the retirement of the school's band director this year, the organization was moved out from its original room (from which it has occupied at school's conception) and into a classroom -- without any sound proofing. Where has the old band equipment gone? That remains a mystery to me. We had a "cage" housing about 100 instruments and a small cramped storage space holding sousaphones and the battery. I do not know if these instruments are still there, or if they have been donated somewhere else to make room for whatever. The original band room has now been renovated to be a wrestling room.
2. 16 AP courses are offered through the high school. Great. Who's teaching them? Do they earn any AP awards? The school hasn't mentioned any of this, just the following.
3. The school's site says the NHS's (National Honor Society) average ACT score is 28. So what. What about the average ACT score overall. Publish both, not just the average of the NHS. It makes it seem like you're trying to put your best foot forward when it's obvious you're selling out the rest of the senior class not in NHS.
4. Non-existent college/university matriculation list. Most of the top privates in the northeast, and the very top Catholic high school in my city (which isn't my school), have a page solely dedicated to where their seniors, and the few previous classes, matriculate to. My school has a pathetic video of the president saying "our students are accepted into the nation's most prestigious universities and colleges .... " Again, so what. Almost every high school within a 20 mile radius can say the same thing. I found no page dedicated to a matriculation list and absolutely zero information on how college counseling is done with rising juniors and seniors set on attending college. I hate to bring up top private high schools, but they got this all written on their site. They got this aspect covered like bees on honey.
5. When I visited the school, it showcased brand new flooring - both in the main foyer and in the gym. Before the new president came, the lockers were expanded to make them larger by the then-new principal. All very nice features. The sports fields also have been upgraded to a certain degree. Good for the sports. What about the academics?
6. Since the move of the Christian Brothers off-campus it seems their presence at the school is non-existent. Only did I bump into one at the local pizza parlor recently. He was picking up an order and heading back to the house where the Brothers were living. I'm not sure if the new president has done anything to breath new life into the Brothers' presence at the school, or if he even cares about this very important aspect of the school's identity. Saying "We carry on the tradition of the Edmund Rice's Christian Brothers blah blah blah" carries so much weight when their presence is near non-existent. The presence of Brothers teaching courses helped make my experience memorable.
7. My school is not immune the very trendy STEM program (this is the knee-jerk reaction from the public education system when hearing that the US lags far behind in worldwide science & math competitions).
Since my high school's official motto is "Where Leadership Begins" the president has turned that STEM acronym into "StL STEM", which stands for Leadership, Science, Technology, English (not engineering in this case) & Math. He has created a schedule were science and math are given more class time. This is no surprise since (A) he majored in System Engineering at West Point and (B) STEM is the new "it" program besides the 1:1 iPad dance which several schools in the archdiocese have adopted. Which me brings to -
8. The "Leadership Center." This is absolutely the most dearest thing to my school. It's a bit odd, really, the constant touting of it. Its implementation with STEM is "what makes the school unique," says the president. No, not really. Our "sister" school has also implemented STEM as well as many other schools across the country. The "sister" school as of late has seen its numbers drop drastically, not because of the STEM program, but of other reasons being. STEM isn't the grand attraction like it's advertised, nor is it a curriculum booster.
Even with the combination of the "Leadership" component it still doesn't make it a novelty. (And with that link I just exposed where I went to high school.)
Since the president is a West Point graduate and has served in the Army for till his discharge, he has adopted the Army Values in the already existing "Leadership" motto. It's a convenient situation, and I think it's actually a good idea (finally, a point to the president) to do such a thing. The school, as I reflect back on my experience and on the motto "Where Leadership Begins" naturally lends itself to this army-like mentality. Now, how he implements the Army Values is an entire thing besides talk.
What drives me to disdain this program is that it, after all its years in existence, seems to be a glorified team-building program with little to show. As it grew, and as the Brothers' numbers dwindled and eventually moved out, the then-head of the program has used the living quarters as the program's own building. The school has an entire building dedicated to "leadership." It definitely cost money to renovate and make
suitable as a two story conference building, so I'm interested if they reap any monetary profits from hosting conferences e.g. how many requested it to hold a conference. I do not know what program based on "leadership" could possibly demand a two story building. It's not like the bizarre Gender Queer Studies where at least people pay money to take its courses in order to be an "educated" and "open-minded" individual. I don't even think any classes, for credit, are held in this Center.
What's equally maddening is how the program got started. An alumnus who was a businessman (not a prominent one, say, like Donald Trump or Samuel Cathy - at least I never heard of this alumnus) saw that other businesses were need of good leaders, and that he was aware of colleges and universities starting their own leadership programs to teach leadership skills, so he contacted the high school in order for them to "get ahead of the curve." What followed was the most useless and shallow investment the school has ever directed its efforts in. Hence, the "Leadership Program" was born. In the words of the school's blog itself about this startup, "[the program gives] students a distinct advantage over other high school students by providing them the skills, confidence and knowledge of effective leaders."
An empty building that once housed the school's Christian Brothers became "Leadership Center." Let me be blunt: it's nothing but a Hilton Conference room in high school form. This center is one of the main driving points in selling the school and the people involved seriously think it makes the school unique, offering the acquired leadership skills to grammar schools and other high schools. Because every school wants to do "trust games."
What do I take away from this assessment?
It's a unique fact. Ever since the birth of the this "leadership" program, back in 2001, the school has not even produced more than five students going to military academies when compared to its peers. There were a number of young men one year ahead of me that entered the military as enlisted who weren't even in the program.
Unless more students are seeking out the military academies in record number due to this "unique" aspect, or that the school is gaining mad dough by offering the Center as a place to rent, I think "Leadership Center" needs to retire. The program has been alive almost 16 years and it hasn't produced anything that warrants its existence in its current form. That building could've been used for something else that would've beefed up the school's curriculum.
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