Academic Programs Overview

Fine Arts

The Fine and Performing Arts Department of St. John Vianney High School seeks to help students gain knowledge, skill and ability in the arts, while providing them with an experience of community in the environment in which they work and a sense of creativity and refinement in their lives. These qualities can lead them to a greater wholeness of being and a stronger appreciation of creation and the Creator.

Foreign Language

The need for increased and better communication among peoples of the world is our reason for presenting a strong and well-rounded language program. Learning a language enables a student to rediscover the world in terms of this language. The student experiences culture through language and literature as a source of personal enrichment and at the same time as a means of entering into and participating in another's community. Foreign language study develops in the student a positive attitude toward speakers of other languages and brings about a more enlightened perspective and appreciation of his own American culture, as well as an awareness of each person's responsibility to the world community. Although customs may vary due to cultural differences, the student will discover that Christian values remain the same.

Language Arts

The need for increased and better communication among peoples of the world is our reason for presenting a strong and well-rounded language program. Learning a language enables a student to rediscover the world in terms of this language. The student experiences culture through language and literature as a source of personal enrichment and at the same time as a means of entering into and participating in another's community. Foreign language study develops in the student a positive attitude toward speakers of other languages and brings about a more enlightened perspective and appreciation of his own American culture, as well as an awareness of each person's responsibility to the world community. Although customs may vary due to cultural differences, the student will discover that Christian values remain the same.

Mathematics

The Mathematics department accepts the philosophy of St. John Vianney High School as the informing spirit of its teaching ministry. The department, therefore, aims at developing mature students, who will take their place as responsible persons in today's world. Specifically, the department strives to develop in students of all academic levels the ability to reason logically in the "world" of numbers, to apply reasoning in problem solving, and to learn the language of mathematics as a requisite for a continuing study of mathematics, to be pursued in career and life choices.

Physical Education

The Physical Education program at St. John Vianney High School is designed to help each student achieve maximum development of basic physical skills, fitness, and good health habits. Furthermore, the program fosters moral, spiritual, social and cultural growth by providing guidelines and examples to help students realize and practice fair and mature judgments that are consistent with good sportsmanship, fair play and Christian values. NOTE: All Physical Education courses are graded on a Pass/Fail basis—no grade points are earned for a passing grade. Students must pass the required courses to fulfill graduation requirements.

Practical Arts

The Practical Arts Department offers a variety of courses that are designed to enhance the educational experience of St. John Vianney students. The Practical Arts department provides students with the background and confidence that is necessary to succeed on the college level. The courses offered are electives that appeal to students who wish to pursue college credit courses as well as those students who simply need to fulfill their practical arts credit. The Practical Arts Department is committed to accommodating each of our students so that he can grow intellectually.

Religion

The primary purpose and goal of the Faith Formation Department is to proclaim to our students the Gospel message of Jesus Christ; to herald the Good News that Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Mary, became man that we would be redeemed. To that end, the members of the department strive to provide a comprehensive four-year program that gives the students cognitive, affective and behavioral learning outcomes in the Catholic and Marianist faith traditions. Members of the Faith Formation Team endeavor to teach their students in order to educate them; i.e., to draw out from their life experiences and from the teacher's life experiences, the wisdom and the insights that come from applying God's word to these everyday human experiences. This involves knowing them as persons and showing respect for their God-given human dignity. The Faith Formation Team works closely to develop age appropriate retreat and prayer experiences that reflect the goals of faith development for the students, including integration of the Characteristics of Marianist Education.

Science

The Science Department is committed to providing opportunities for students to gain knowledge and appreciation of the natural sciences. The curriculum emphasizes the process of scientific inquiry so students can discover and interpret scientific knowledge, develop interests and appreciation for science and scientists, and realize that these processes can be applied in the Marianist tradition to the solution of present and future problems.

Social Studies

Our goals consist of but are not restricted to:

1. Educating the whole person, with a special emphasis placed on the promotion of the tenets of Catholic social teaching. Catholic social teaching rests upon two pivotal affirmations: One being that all persons are and ought to be part of society, while all social, economic and political institutions should serve the betterment of humankind.
2. Teaching history as a series of interconnected events, which are inextricably linked as the story of humankind continues to unfold.
3. Fostering a greater knowledge and appreciation of the tremendous diversity that exists within humankind.
4. Enabling each student to form his own hypothesis on a controversial topic in history, to engage in independent research around this hypothesis, and to form a final opinion based on the facts researched.