English at St. Francis is an intimate, collaborative and creative practice.

Inside the English classroom, students’ desks are ranged in circles or their chairs around a seminar table. For the ten months of the academic year, English teachers and students are members of a small community in which each student’s intellectual, aesthetic and personal discoveries are elicited. The heart of English teachers’ work at St. Francis is to arrange for, encourage, model, coach, and, when necessary, insist on thoughtful expression in individual voices. The heart of students’ work in English is a variety of projects and texts leading a variety of individuals to the pleasures of literacy and of confident, competent self-expression; the heart of students’ work is also collegial, as in workshops and seminars they experience the whole as greater than a sum of parts, taking part in a searching, open-minded, many-voiced conversation.

Outside the classroom, our communal dialogue begins on the first day of school, when every member of the school community – students, faculty, and staff – shares his or her response to the all-school summer reading book. That discussion continues throughout the year at every Morning Meeting, which ends with a student or staff member reading a poem of his or her choosing. During the Showcase of the Spoken Word in the spring, student writing in a variety of genres and formats is performed, typically to sell-out crowds. The communal conversation comes to a close at the end of the year, with the publication of an ambitious student literary magazine and the presentation of staff-written speeches about each graduating senior. The collective creative process also involves extracurricular activities, like the songwriting, drama and debate clubs, and independent creative projects, such as student-created mix tapes, chapbooks and creative-writing Senior Projects.

At St Francis, we believe that to take the time,
effort,
and care
to consider not only what we say
but how we say it,
and to pay close, careful attention –
whether as participants in a revision workshop,
readers of a monumental poem,
or audience members at a spoken-word performance-
to the words of others
are not only indispensable human responsibilities
but also educated pleasures
no one should have to live
without.

At easels and tables in an airy environment lit by skylights, students find their innate creative abilities. Current work is on display in the hallways. The classroom is informally structured to encourage students to work individually yet find encouragement and inspiration from classmates around them.

Intellectual rigor is encouraged, and classroom discussions open for students a view into the latest trends in major art centers around the world. Installation and performance art are collaborative work at St. Francis, sparking a creative excitement that comes with working cooperatively. Students whose creativity is best expressed intellectually find this an especially engaging project.

Art students are asked to keep open minds and work thoughtfully. Their shared experiences with art-making are

discussed in critiques that emphasize each person’s growth and unique vision. Perceptions are challenged in discussions that lead to a greater appreciation of the unlimited range of expressiveness.

St. Francis High School Fine Arts teachers are designated as artists-in-residence. The goal of the artist-in-residence is to find the unique individual voice that presents itself in any given media and to encourage its growth. All the artists-in-residence have active professional careers distinguished by years of dedication to their crafts and by reputations that extend beyond the city limits. Their career focus provides a window into the highly competitive world of art as a profession.

When you enter the language classroom, you’ll hear students conversing in Chinese, French or Spanish with each other and the teacher. These conversations frequently continue into the hallways between classes, creating a positive global atmosphere in the school.

Beginning with introductory-level classes, students are encouraged to use their language skills. We want students to become comfortable with speaking and writing in a second (or even a third) language. The best way to develop these skills is to speak and write a language daily. Language classes are anything but boring. Teachers use a variety of participatory, hands-on activities to motivate students so they can focus on communication.

Students also have the opportunity to travel abroad with their language teachers. Most recently, students have traveled to Peru, Switzerland, France and China. These trips allow students to become totally immersed in the language and culture and to experience daily life in another country first-hand. We also invite students to participate in the regional and state Foreign Language Festival each year. Our students frequently distinguish themselves in a variety of academic and artistic foreign language events.

The Foreign Languages Department offers beginning, intermediate and AP courses in Chinese French and Spanish, allowing interested and capable students to pursue a more in-depth study of the literature and culture of their chosen language(s).

St. Francis High School students are required to complete two consecutive years of the same language in order to graduate. Our graduates who complete four years of language study with us often report themselves extremely well prepared for college-level language courses.

In accordance with the above goal, and unlike any other school in the region, St. Francis requires students to study history all four years. During the first two years of the curriculum, students are introduced to civilizations, cultures, and socio-religious traditions in the ancient and medieval worlds, respectively. In addition to providing a cultural and geographical base, the Culture and Civilization courses in the Freshman and Sophomore years stress basic

research techniques, primary source textual analysis, and effective written expression. Most classes are conducted in the discussion format, emphasizing respectful interaction.

In the Junior year, students take U.S. History or one of the Advanced Placement History offerings. 

Seniors take an Advanced Placement History course or choose from our unique offerings of 20th Century Seminars and electives. This culminating year prepares students for college academic work by covering a demanding curriculum that stresses independent reading and research as well as lively and informed classroom discussions.

We offer a full range of coursework in high-school mathematics beginning with Algebra I, Geometry, and then Algebra II, with a range of options after Algebra II.  In the courses through Algebra II, we use texts that emphasize good fundamental procedures and basic skills. We have found that “contemporary” texts seem to be distracting and hence confusing to students who should, at this stage in their careers, be focusing on the basics. After Algebra II, students can opt for Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, or FST (Functions, Statistics, and Trigonometry, a survey course for those who choose not to do AP-level math). We can also offer independent studies in Post-Calculus mathematics for those students with the necessary background and interest. Texts for these courses are college-level, and emphasize correct and consistent use of mathematical vocabulary and notation. 

Math classes at St. Francis are small, ranging in size from 5 to 17.  Instruction includes extensive use of technology, as required by the current standards in the AP and other college-preparatory curricula. 

Beyond the ordinary curricula, we offer students the chance to participate in the Greater Louisville Math League, a challenging competition held four times per year, with both individual and team scores reported. Selected students are also invited to participate in the American Math Competition, the first level of a talent-search process. Those students scoring above 100 will be eligible to compete in the American Invitational Math Exam, and the top few hundred students in the nation on that exam will be invited to a summer camp to choose the U.S. Math Olympiad Team, for international competition. In math competition, St. Francis students regularly outrank their peers.

When you walk into a St. Francis science classroom, you’ll find students engaged in applying science principles to everyday life. Whether it’s designing a safe but universally thrilling roller coaster in physics, synthesizing the “bounciest” bouncy ball in chemistry, or sampling local waterways in biology, students appreciate science as a process, rather than an accumulation of facts.

St. Francis embraces the Physics First philosophy, which elevates biology to a capstone course. The typical core curriculum sequence is conceptual physics for Freshmen, chemistry for Sophomores, and biology for Juniors. Rather than merely flipping the traditional order, this sequence of courses allows students to progressively build on their scientific knowledge and curiosity.

Students then have the opportunity to take semester electives, such as Forensics, the Science of Magic, or Zoology, or Advanced Placement (AP) courses in physics, biology, environmental science, or chemistry. Students may also participate in Science Olympiad, a national competition assessing skills and knowledge in physics, engineering, biology, and general science.

A St. Francis alum will have the tools to critically analyze the often oversimplified presentation of scientific data in news, advertisements, and pop culture. Through collaborative investigations and student-centered classroom discussions, they will learn how to develop good questions, how to research and analyze the world around them, and how to effectively communicate their findings to the greater community.