Bishop T.K. Gorman

Available courses

Junior Christian Service Immersion Program - Stafford

Teacher: Justin Ruelle

The goal of any successful high school program is: to develop well-rounded citizens capable of demonstrating moral, intellectual, physical, and emotion maturity, and to ensure that all graduates are ready for college, career, and civic participation. This project should be one in which the student discovers both passion and challenge which would elicit a call to action connecting Gospel teachings and vocational pursuits.

Senior Capstone is a half credit course scheduled in the spring semester of the senior year designed to synthesize and integrate knowledge and skills acquired through faith development, course work, and other learning experiences. Capstone is a comprehensive interdependent project involving the English, Theology, and History Departments incorporating the skills of critical thinking, research and analysis, argumentation, MLA standard writing, and public presentation. Students pose a question of social concern in the Modern Era and examine the concern in light of Church teaching and US public policy. Following the research phase, students form an opinion with respect to their question and contrive a thesis defending their stance. Students submit either the Recommended and the Distinguished Thesis, each a comprehensive summary of arguments sufficient to intelligently support the position. The Recommended Thesis will contain 2500-3000 words and will utilize four different forms of argumentation [example, deduction, cause & effect, and authority]. The Distinguished Thesis will contain approximately 4500 words and will add an argument by analogy. AP English students must submit the Distinguished Thesis. The project will culminate with a 10-12 minute electronic public presentation by the student before a group of peers and faculty.

AP English III

Teacher: Jim Franz

AP English III is a merged study of composition, American literature, argumentation, critical reading and rhetorical analysis. Students in the class develop familiarity with the scope of American literature while they prepare for the AP English Language and Composition Exam.

Using a variety of genres, students learn composition skills for both oral and written presentation. In individual practice as well as small group settings, students develop mature communication skills by writing informal texts, participating in on-line class forums, making oral presentations, composing college application essays as well as creating expository, argumentative, narrative and analytical prose. All written work is continually revised after peer and teacher reviews. Grammar awareness and vocabulary development continue through the year to strengthen student writing.

Students in AP English III read and analyze a wide variety of fictional and non-fictional texts, primarily American written. The class has a special focus on early American nationalistic, non-fiction writing, modern non-fiction and the writings and influences of Poe, Twain, and Hemingway.

Throughout the year, students learn the basis of classical argumentation, beginning with the Aristotelian foundations. Daily practice in developing clear and logical thesis statements, effective introductions, successful rhetorical structures, audience awareness and the wide varieties of appeals available to the rhetor helps students create effective arguments for a wide variety of circumstance and topics.