Foreign Language Department
Bienvenue! Welcome! Bienvenido!
At Alverno High School, the Foreign Language Department strives to make the learning of languages a successful and rewarding experience for our students. The study of foreign languages enhances mental flexibility, builds ease in concept formation and reasoning skills, particularly the cognitive processes of recognition, retention, logic and problem solving. Each of the four skills (reading, listening, speaking and writing) requires the students to utilize their aural, oral, visual and tactile capabilities in the normal course of learning. The study of a foreign language is the necessary link between cultures and mentalities that make not only the mind but also the spirit more flexible and tolerant.
As a department, our first task is to make students feel motivated and confident while learning. Students are encouraged to see values in the use of the foreign language as a mean of real communication through interactive and authentic tasks and materials.
The Foreign Language Department offers courses in French and Spanish from Level 1 to Advanced Placement. Since language study consists of a progressive acquisition of skills, the experience can be beneficial even if the students choose to terminate their language study after two years. At any point, the progress made in the language will have a positive value and lay a foundation upon which future progress can be built. Therefore, it is our desire as a department, not to insure that every word, phrase or concept will be remembered, but to make sure that our students are proficient in communicating in and understanding the target language, to instill in the students the value of a foreign language study in developing better study skills, critical thinking and a more global perspective.
Foreign Language Courses Offered
French I
Spanish I
French II
Spanish II
French III
Spanish III
AP French
AP Spanish
Activities
Throughout the school year, the French and Spanish classes organize field trips to different events involving the target language & culture. The French classes participate regularly in activities sponsored by Alliance Française from Pasadena.
The Spanish I classes are involved each year in November, in a Day of the Dead project to learn about this important Mexican tradition. In December they organize a Christmas Carol Sing Along morning which culminates with a caroling moment in the cafeteria during lunch. Spanish classes attend Cal Tech’s presentation of traditional Mexican dances, and celebrate on campus the traditional Cinco de Mayo.
Mathematics Department
The Mathematics department seeks to include three major areas of instruction throughout all courses offered. These areas are skills and concepts, problem solving, and applications. Problem solving is seen as foundational to the curriculum and provides the unifying strand between content in the courses. The elegance of mathematical language in relationship to logical reasoning and to the world outside the classroom is taught. The department places an emphasis on the appreciation of the structure of mathematics with the underlying knowledge that this structure provides the framework necessary for solving problems in all types of fields.
The Mathematics department acknowledges the role of technology in the 21st century and therefore emphasizes and utilizes graphing calculators and computer applications where students explore, discover and create mathematical relationships.
The Math department strives to challenge every student to reach her potential in the field of mathematics. Therefore, we offer a wide range of courses that are not assigned any grade level but a prerequisite. Advanced students are allowed to take a summer Geometry Honors course which allows them an opportunity to study advanced course work their Junior and Senior years.
Math Courses Offered
Algebra I
Algebra I Honors
Geometry
Geometry Honors
Algebra II/Trigonometry
Algebra II/Trigonometry Honors
Math Analysis/Pre Calculus
Statistics
Advanced Placement Calculus AB
Science Department
The science department at Alverno High School has many varied courses to fulfill the requirements of the two needed lab sciences as well as the elective science courses. All the sciences have a strong lab component. Our goal is to encourage students to look at the world around them with awe, ask questions about the world and seek to find answers that will solve some of the prevailing problems today. We aim to teach students how to discover the laws of nature through laboratory experimentation, observation, and analysis of data. We also encourage students to look at the environmental problems in the world, investigate all sides of the problem including social, economic, and scientific angles, analyze their causes and seek to find solutions. We encourage students to see the study of science as relevant to their lives.
The science department uses technology in both the presentation process and the laboratory exercises. The science department has a full set of hand held lab pro data loggers for students to use with many different types of probes. The data collected can then be downloaded to a computer or printed out for further analysis. The science department has 6 laptop computers for student use during lecture or lab. In addition we use laser disc, projectors, tablet pc, and smart boards to enhance our instruction.
The laboratory experience is very important in the science class. All students will learn basic lab techniques in biology, chemistry and physics. All students will learn how to write a thorough lab write up. At each level the student becomes more sophisticated and independent in the performance of the lab and the lab write up. The student is led through the instructions in the early grades and is expected to be independent in the older grades. All lab write ups are completed in graph lab book that are standard in all classes and the procedure is also standard for all classes. Safety is insisted upon in all classes as well as proper uses of the equipment.
Science Courses Offered
Health
Biology
Honors Biology
Chemistry
Honors Chemistry
AP Biology
Physics
Forensic Science
Human Biology
Earth Science
All students must take a minimum of two lab sciences. The lab sciences include: Biology, Chemistry or Physics at any level
Activities
Field trips planned and offered in the past include: going to Aquarium of the Pacific for oxygen level analysis by Honors and AP Biology students, taking part in the Caltech Cosmic radiation project by Physics students, trips to Cal Tech, Griffith Observatory, and Mount Wilson for Astronomy students, visiting the Crime Lab for Forensic students, training by the police department in fingerprint analysis, and a scavenger hunt at the Los Angeles Zoo.
Social Studies Department
The social sciences are studied to enhance the quality of life for the individual and the society in which she interacts. Without any knowledge of the past and of the growth of human cultures, the individual becomes a prisoner of the present, unable to deal with current problems, or to see how they affect the future. The Department is committed to developing Christian, global, and feminist perspectives (to the extent that they complement each other) for the appraisal of historical, political, cultural, and economic events so as to guide the student in assessing the myriad of issues facing the world today.
By nurturing the above, carefully-coordinated attitudes, the Department also attempts to form in the student habits of critical thinking, deliberate judgments and lucid objectivity.
The nature of the adolescent is such that social and cultural experience and awareness is limited. The parochial nature of her economic status, of her patriotic indoctrination, of her religious training, and her exposure to political ideologies may contribute wholly or partially to these limitations. It is the feeling of the Department that education’s traditional roadblocks, the somewhat well-intentioned obstacles that prevent the student from developing as much as possible a more global and independent perspective, must be challenged. This can be accomplished to some degree through the careful selection of textbooks, audio-visual aids, curriculum choices, and departmental coordination of topic emphases.
Social Studies Courses Offered
Geography
World History/Geography
Honors World History/Geography
United States History and Government
AP United States History and Government
Economics
International Relations
Activities
Living Wax Museum of History
Asian Adventure Project
Creating Colonies
Museum Exhibits
Economics Bake
Sale
The Theology Department is committed to further developing a faith identity in each of our students by inviting them to take seriously the call to live their lives shaped by that faith. Our mission is to offer a study of Catholic Tradition, history, rituals, beliefs, and values. An academic study of this type allows for the intellect to creatively question beliefs in order to more fully understand their origins and messages. Equally important to an academic study of religion is the opportunity to develop a maturing spirituality through prayer experiences, journal reflections, liturgy, and retreats. Finally we are committed to offering opportunities for service which enable our students to view the global community as neighbor. We believe it is vital to offer our students the means to discover God through faith development, models of spirituality, and experiences of service.
The Theology Department is in support of the work of the individual parishes of our students and promotes strong ties to the parish community. The Department encourages the student to live out her faith in prayer, in worship with the community at Mass, in acts of Christian service and in opportunities for shared faith experiences in youth group, Confirmation classes, and other parish activities.
The Department is particularly invested in that section of the Alverno High School Philosophy which calls our community to live the "radical challenges of the Gospel" as we educate young women to live counter-culturally in a secular world.
Theology Courses Offered
Introduction to Catholicism
Scriptures
Sacraments
Christian Morality
History of Christianity/World Religions
Contemporary Social Issues
Christian Lifestyles
Campus Ministry I: Liturgy Preparation & Campus Faith Events (Elective)
Campus Ministry II: Worship Band & Liturgical Dance (Elective)
Visual and Performing Arts Department
An appreciation of the arts brings to the student an increased sensibility to society, herself, and the world around her. In these materialistic times when creativity is surrendered to commercial ends, it is necessary to nurture and inspire the individual spirit within. In the classroom, emphasis is placed on learning specific techniques and developing skills at the basic, intermediate, and advanced levels. Active participation also encourages a lifelong appreciation of the Visual and Performing Arts.
The Visual and Performing Arts Department is committed to increasing the involvement of students in singing, dancing, and the creation of visual artwork. Technical, historical, and aesthetic instruction is stressed throughout all disciplines. From this firm base, students are encouraged to explore their creative potential, and develop their intuitive sense and creative thinking skills.
Visual and performing art is a universal language which crosses all global barriers, and through which students learn to appreciate and experience their own cultural heritage as well as those of other peoples. Through performance or by making tangible art, the student finds her own “voice” to express political, social, and emotional concerns. An awareness of historically unacknowledged women and cultures in the arts is also an integral part of the Visual and Performing Arts curriculum.
Visual & Performing Arts Courses Offered
Senior Art
Advanced Placement Art
Ceramics and Sculpture
Drawing and Painting
Design and Printmaking
Open Studio Art
Photography
Dance 1
Dance 2
Advanced Dance
Choreaography
Musical Theater
Acting 1
Acting 2
Improvisation
Choir
Alverno Singers
