This advanced literature course is comparable to AP English Language and Composition, the purpose of which “is to enable students to read complex texts with understanding and to write prose of sufficient richness and complexity to communicate effectively with mature readers” (College Board, 2010). This course also includes elements of poetry and public speaking, so that students may become astute at understanding and implementing all forms of communication. The course is intended to provide students with an academic experience parallel to that of a college-level literature course. Students learn to become active readers, able to analyze and interpret textual detail in a variety of rhetorical contexts. At the same time, a thorough writing component focusing on expository, analytical, argumentative, and creative writing enables students to mature as effective communicators.

Calculus topics studied follow closely the AP Calculus AB course guide, preparing students for post-secondary work in physics, chemistry, engineering, and economics. The derivative—a mathematical way to study rates of change—and the integral—a mathematical way to study the accumulation of changing quantities—are models connected by the fundamental theorem of calculus. Functions are the rules used to find and describe how one thing uniquely corresponds to another. Students learn to quantify how things change over time and to examine the cause-and-effect relationships that exist among things in the universe, including physical, social, and economic situations.

This course is about the science of motion, its mathematical description, its causes, and its effects. It includes both graphical and algebraic analysis of moving objects, with selected calculus-based applications used in labs. Students develop skill in equation manipulation and problem solving through well-chosen laboratory experiments that solidify classroom learning. Mechanics is the main focus of the curriculum, including velocity and acceleration, projectile motion, vector calculation of actual motion, forces and movement, gravity and momentum, work, energy, and simple machines. Topics in astronomy are also explored through documentaries, visits to a local digital planetarium, and participation in astronomical events as they occur.

This course introduces students to early American political thought and its crowning political achievement, the United States Constitution. Focusing on The Federalist Papers and other original source documents from the Founding period, students learn concepts including natural rights, social compact theory, religious liberty, limited government, separation of powers, and the rule of law. By studying the Constitution, students better understand political justice and the challenges of preserving the American experiment of self-government under law. World governments and their relationships to citizens are also explored. Students are also introduced to the practical application of economic theory by studying past economic models and comparing how they fare in real-world situations. Communist and socialist models are compared with supply- and demand-side economic theory within the scope of free-market capitalism.

Seniors and their professor embark on a journey through Christian philosophy, seeking truth in philosophy, theology, science, mathematics, and every discipline. Students engage in philosophy under the influence of Christian faith as a guiding and ennobling light, ordered toward integrating that knowledge into their understanding and explanation of the Faith. Ancient, pre-Christian philosophers are studied insofar as their searches for truth remain helpful to the development of Christian philosophy. Philosophical truth and theological truth are presented as friends and allies. Part I is historical: an introduction to philosophical principles and terminology, followed by Ancient, early Christian, Medieval, and Modern philosophers with attention to recurring problems. Part II is systematic: Logic, Epistemology, Metaphysics, Natural Philosophy, Psychology as the study of the soul, Natural Theology, and Ethics. These topics are presented in Thomistic fashion, forming students in a Living Thomism for engaging old and new philosophical questions.

Apologetics is a defense of the faith, and this course makes the case for Christianity and Catholicism while addressing controversies surrounding the faith. It begins with objective truth and the relationship between faith and reason through John Paul II’s encyclical Fides et Ratio. Topics include arguments for God’s existence, the evolution and creation debate, the relationship between science and faith—including the Galileo case—the problem of evil and suffering, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Biblical truth, life after death, the foundation of the Church, and Christianity and other religions. The course addresses present-day criticisms using arguments from contemporary authors who defend Christianity, giving students tools they can use in daily conversation and in encounters with others.

Having completed the Basics of Biblical Greek, students now practice their skills by reading and translating the entire Gospel of St. John. More complex points of grammar are addressed as they arise in the text, with special attention to features of New Testament Greek that differ from standard classical usage.

Students begin their year-round study of classical music in the Summer Course with an introduction to the instruments of the orchestra and musical forms. The course is cyclic and, over a three-year span, covers the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque Period, Classical Period, and Romantic Period. Audiovisual presentations familiarize students with the music and cultivate appreciation for its various styles.

Introduction to Spanish grammar, conversational skills, vocabulary development, and Catholic cultural heritage.

Students will study music.