Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory

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Curriculum

Click the title of each academic discipline to view course descriptions.

English
The emphasis of the English department is on reading, writing, and the development of the whole person. The department goals, therefore, include the following: Students will become proficient readers who actively construct meaning out of literary works based on textual cues, students will become convincing writers who develop a significant thesis statement into a logical argument supported by multiple examples, students will build vocabulary skills in preparation for standardized tests such as the ACT and the SAT, students will acquire a strong work ethic, and students will grow morally and spiritually.

Fine Arts
The Fine Arts Department at Chaminade-Madonna includes studies in Theatre, Film, Television Production, Dance, Art Appreciation, Visual Arts, Ceramics, Band, Music Appreciation, Percussion, and Choir. These courses are offered because they cultivate the whole student, gradually building many kinds of literacy while developing intuition, reasoning, imagination, and dexterity into unique forms of expression. This process requires not merely an active mind but a trained one. It is our belief that arts education helps students by initiating them into a variety of ways of perceiving and thinking. It also benefits society because students of the arts disciplines gain powerful tools for: understanding human experiences both past and present; learning to adapt to and respect others’ ways of thinking, working, and expressing themselves; learning artistic modes of problem solving, which bring an array of expressive, analytical, and developmental tools to every human situation; analyzing nonverbal communication and making informed judgments about cultural products and issues; and communicating their thoughts and feelings in a variety of modes, giving then a vastly more powerful repertoire of self-expression.

Foreign Language
The mission of the Foreign Language Department is to introduce and enhance the students' knowledge of the target language of their choice. At Chaminade Madonna the choices include Spanish, French and Espanol(Spanish for Spanish speakers). All three choices begin with the first level and proceed to the fifth level. Testing for advanced placement takes place during the entrance exam for prospective Spanish students and during the month of May for prospective French students. Students in the upper level classes are encourage to take advanced placement test for possible college credit. In addition to studying the basic of language the cultural aspects of the conutries are explored, with special emphasis on those aspects that would be of interest to young adults.

Health and Wellness
The mission of the Health and Wellness Department is to teach students how to take control of their own personal health and lifestyle habits enabling them to make constant and deliberate efforts to stay healthy and achieve the highest potential for well-being. These efforts should include mental, physical, social, emotional, and spiritual health.

Mathematics, Business, and Computer Science
The mission of the Mathematics Department is to provide high quality instruction in pure and applied mathematics as a preparation for our students to find success. The success of our students is not limited to completion of the mathematics courses taken here at Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory, but also at the college level and in developing the quantitative and qualitative thinking skills necessary for everyday living.

The members of the department are themselves dedicated to providing this instruction to all students by providing additional help and maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Additionally, members of the department are continually developing themselves professionally through workshops, seminars, and courses in order to improve the classroom experience. These are all done in the Marianist tradition of family and faith.

The mission of the Business and Computer Department is to provide a solid foundation. The areas of emphasis are computer use, basic application programs, introductory programming and basic graphic use. The primary focus is to educate through hands on experience.

Science
The number one priority of the Science Department at Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory is to make every student science literate in a growing, technologically dependent world. A strong curriculum in Biology, Biology II, Chemistry and Physics is taught by a dedicated faculty. From the natural order of the living world in Biology to the world of materials and forces in Chemistry and Physics - a vision of interdependence, community, stewardship and appreciation for the beauty of God's world is achieved. Biology, Chemistry and Physics laboratories along with classroom Smartboard technology provide the hands-on and visual experiences that integrate knowledge and bring learning to life. Elective courses in AP Biology, AP Physics, Chem II/Organic, Anatomy/Physiology and Marine Biology provide a deeper understanding into the many facets of Science.

Social Studies
The Social Studies Department offers a required four-year sequence of courses covering World History, United States History, American Government, and Economics. These courses focus on events that shaped the world of today and thus give our students an understanding of the world in which they live by viewing contemporary trends in the context of political, economic, and social history. Elective courses in psychology, philosophy, and forensics emphasize the human condition and human thought, thus deepening each student's understanding of both historical and current events.

Theology
St. Anselm defines theology as fides quaerens intellectum – faith seeking understanding. The Theology Department at Chaminade-Madonna seeks to educate all of our students in keeping with that particular vision. We strive to challenge our students to bring their faith to a deeper, more educated, more informed level of understanding through proper studies and faith experiences in service to the Church, both as local community and as universal body. As a Marianist school, faithful to the example set by Blessed William Joseph Chaminade and in keeping with the school’s mission statement, we specifically aim to educate our students’ heart, mind and soul.