Our Catholic Curriculum for High School Girls Leads to Success

Catholic education has been a cornerstone of communities across the United States for years, recognized for its dedication to academic excellence and moral formation.

With curriculums based on faith and academic rigor, Catholic schools have consistently produced well-rounded individuals equipped to be successful. Students receive years of faith-based education that encourages curiosity, a commitment to justice, and prayer in daily life. St. Agnes Academy is no different.

 

“Rooted in the Catholic, Dominican tradition,” reads the St. Agnes Academy mission statement. “St. Agnes Academy challenges young women through exceptional academic preparation and transformational experiences to lead with integrity, joy, and a commitment to social justice.” And grounded in the Catholic, Dominican tradition, we are.

Our Dominican values are a constant of the Academy education – integrated in, sometimes unseen, but always impactful ways – theology class, grade-level retreats, individual moments of prayer, etc.

The Catholic curriculum for high school students at St. Agnes is specifically designed to help our girls be successful through the embodiment and understanding of St. Agnes’ Dominican Catholic values. Learn more about what sets us apart as a premier choice for high school education.

Take a look at the core components of our curriculum and how our curriculum extends beyond the classroom to support learning.

The Catholic curriculum of St. Agnes most noticeably presents itself through Theology class. Required by our students to take throughout their high school career, each year of Theology gives a new perspective to view the Catholic religion, following specialized lesson plans carefully tailored to each course and the grade level taking the class.

For example, students begin freshman year in Theology 1 using texts from Ave Maria Press with the goal of gaining general knowledge and appreciation of the Sacred Scriptures. Then, seniors can choose from countless course options that best suit their personal faith curiosities and journey, whether that be a course like “Interreligious Studies” or “Seeking God Through Film.”

Regardless, at the end of a student’s four years at St. Agnes, she will have received a Catholic education that will empower her to witness Gospel values and honor the principles of Catholic social teaching, amongst other things.

Mass at St. Agnes is a critical part of our pillar of Prayer. As a Catholic community, St. Agnes comes together for Mass to recognize holy days of obligation and Dominican feast days. Students sit with their grade level through the service, participating in the rituals and prayers of the Catholic Church and witnessing the embodiment of Catholic values in action.

Through communal worship, prayer, and the Eucharist celebration, students experience fellowship and reverence with their peers. Mass becomes more than a religious ceremony at St. Agnes; it becomes a transformative experience for students to become more compassionate, moral, and spiritually grounded.

Our Catholic curriculum is not constrained to class time and mass, however. It goes beyond the four walls of a classroom into leadership development, extracurricular activities, service opportunities, and more.

Every year, each grade at St. Agnes spends 2 to 3 days on a Catholic retreat, serving their community. Students often serve at local Houston organizations, where they volunteer their help alongside their classmates. In the past, our students have served at Camp for All, Halo House, and Neff Elementary.

In addition to service opportunities, retreats are also ways for our students to build stronger connections with their peers. Our Catholic curriculum strongly emphasizes community and sisterhood – values highlighted throughout each grade’s time away from the classroom. 

Through shared experiences and mutual respect, each grade returns from retreat with new bonds, united by a few days of faith and service. Grade-level retreats allow our Dominican values to be spread amongst the community in a new environment, outside of class, which strengthens our girls’ sense of community and service profoundly.

St. Agnes’ Campus Ministry is a community of faith where students serve and minister amongst each other and in the community while maintaining the Dominican Catholic identity of St. Agnes. 

Campus Ministry is often responsible for leading morning prayer, serving at Mass, taking charge of service projects, and leading celebrations of our Dominican heritage.

A smaller subset within Campus Ministry is a junior-senior leadership group – the Dominican Preaching Team (DPT). Made of Campus Ministry leaders, DPT members act as servant leaders within the St. Agnes community, taking on responsibilities like leading grade-level retreats and Campus Ministry club programs and events.

Opportunities like these faith-based student groups allow our girls to develop leadership skills while strengthening their voices as members of a Dominican community.

Theology class, Mass, Grade-level retreats, Campus Ministry, and DPT are all critical aspects of St. Agnes’ Catholic education that instill the skills and values necessary to be successful. Each experience in some way presses the importance of core Catholic teachings like community and helps develop life skills through faith-based interactions.

Though these experiences are not the only parts of our curriculum that form these vital qualities, they are certainly good examples of how a Catholic curriculum for high school girls can lead to success.