Programs

The English program combines the study of literature with developmental instruction and exercise in vocabulary, speech, composition, and grammar. Classroom discussion of reading assignments covers the major aspects of American and English literature.

All students follow a three-year sequence in Fine Arts. Freshmen take music -- an appreciation course emphasizing major musical styles and composers along with the development of critical listening skills. Studio art, offered to all juniors, provides students with studio experiences in drawing, painting, and calligraphy in order to learn the principles of design and composition.

Seniors study advanced fine arts, which consists of a half a year of advanced music and a half a year of advanced art. These courses explore significant historical and critical elements of the contribution of the arts to our shared human experience. The courses focus on selected outstanding works of art and music and the many cultural connections that can be drawn from them.

Chaminade offers four-year language programs in Chinese, French, Spanish, and Latin. Each student studies his chosen language for four scholastic years. The first two years of language studies focus primarily on structure, vocabulary, and culture. Levels III and IV emphasize complex grammatical and verb formations as well as literature, culture, reading, and writing. Level V, for accelerated students, encompasses in more detail the study of culture, history, and literature.

All students follow a four-year mathematics program. Concepts cover two- and three-dimensional geometry, algebra, trigonometry, advanced functions, and calculus. Conceptual understanding is emphasized and computational skills are developed and reinforced during math practicum periods. Opportunities for Advanced Placement courses are available for students.

All students are required to take four years of physical education. The activities of the program for the four years are: physical fitness testing (twice annually), calisthenics, aerobics and weight training, softball, basketball, team handball, soccer, swimming, volleyball, speedball, mass games, and classes in the Chaminade Physical Fitness Center.

The one-year health course is given to sophomores. Units are taught with the understanding of how health issues in today's society affect students as citizens and as Catholics.

The Chaminade Religion Department seeks to demonstrate the vitality of Christ's message to the present age so students might find personal identity in the framework of Christian commitment. The four-year course includes the study of Scripture, the Person of Christ, Church history, the sacraments, the growth and development of the person, self-knowledge, human relationships, the meaning of Christian maturity, faith, belief in God, and Catholic social teaching.

Students at Chaminade complete a four-year program in science. Students begin their freshman year with a rigorous honors-level biology course, followed by chemistry, physics, and Earth and space sciences. During the sophomore, junior, and senior years, students may apply for Advanced Placement (AP)-aligned courses in biology, chemistry, and physics. Students not enrolled in the AP-aligned physics course during senior year may choose from several honors or AP-aligned Earth and space science courses.

The goal of the science program is twofold: to present students with the opportunity to discover the orderliness and wonder of the natural world and to understand the laws governing this order. The science program provides enhanced opportunities to students naturally gifted in mathematics and science while providing all students a thorough background in the natural sciences.

Courses in global studies, European history, and United States history focus on the events and forces which shaped the world. Students also examine current events, studying contemporary trends in the context of political, economic, and social history.