It was a hot summer morning, 92°F. An emergency call came in at 9:45 a.m. A man contacted the police to report that he was worried about his next-door neighbor, a woman named Anna. He said he had spoken to Anna the previous morning when he saw her walking her dog around 6:30 a.m. He decided to call the police this morning because Anna’s dog had been barking excitedly for the last two hours. He tried to call Anna on the telephone, but no one answered. Both the police and an EMT arrived at the scene at 9:56 a.m. The EMT determined that Anna was dead. The police immediately notified your team of crime scene investigators as well as the medical examiner, both of which were dispatched to the house. Has a crime been committed?
This is an excerpt from the case presented to students in the first course of our Biomedical Science program, Principles of Biomedical Science. From the moment students walk into the classroom, they are immersed in the mysterious death of Anna and asked to investigate, document, and analyze evidence to solve the case. Students explore a range of careers in biomedical sciences as they learn content in the context of real-world, hands-on activities, projects, and problems.
Doesn't it make you wish we had classes like this in high school? Occasionally we hear students say they "...just aren't good at math or science." These courses make science and math fascinating. Any student can sign up for our Engineering or Biomedical programs because there is no prerequisite. The future for many of our students are careers in medical, engineering and technology fields. Those who are drawn to these careers will be well prepared by the time they graduate from Bishop Alemany. Next year we plan to add a 4-year Computer Science program.
Of course, this just scratches the surface of how we are growing academically. As mentioned above, our AP program is growing and becoming more successful each year. Our AP teachers are peerless in their passion and love of this difficult material. They have found unique approaches to the material in addition to the hard work it takes to succeed in AP course work.
If this isn't enough to show how Bishop Alemany stands head and shoulders above other schools in our area, along with our new Honors Institute we were recently named an AP Capstone High School, one of only two high schools in the 52 Catholic High Schools in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles leading to the highly respected "College Board AP Capstone Diploma." Why? Because our AP program is simply the very best around. Here's how Mr. Judge, our Honors Institute Director described our program.
"Students enrolled in the Honors Institute study a discrete program of courses designed to make them ready for the most academically rigorous colleges and universities in the world. They complete a range of AP courses, and all non-AP courses are taken at Honors level. Students also complete a ‘blended’ Honors Institute Seminar program that culminates with the College Board’s AP Capstone Diploma."
Our growth is, of course, continuing in Division I Athletics. Bishop Alemany H.S. is the only Archdiocesan High School that is in Division I in all of our sports. We will settle for nothing less that true excellence, victory, and love of sports in all of our athletic endeavors. This is a challenge that we are living up to each and every year. With our new Varsity Football Coach James Washington, we are seeing the birth of a new and exciting football program with a sense of faith that warms my heart. As great as the team looks this year, what stands out most for me is how much our athletes are enjoying their athletic experience. We truly have some of the best coaches in all of our sports in the state of California.
In October we will be unveiling our new Bishop Alemany Athletics Website. It will be a one-of-a-kind "one-stop" location for all of our sports. When we finally unveil our new athletics website in October you will see a presentation of our athletics programs that is the finest high school sports information site around. Your son or daughter in athletics will be well presented for our Alemany community to enjoy and for you and your family to be proud of.
Most importantly of all, this is all built upon a framework and foundation of faith. This is what gives our community here the cohesion of God's spiritual gifts to each of us. We pray and serve together binding us to one another in gratitude for this wonderful school we are blessed to work for and attend. The Catholic identity and devotion to service and social justice at Bishop Alemany is present throughout the halls and classrooms each and every day.
Mr. Chambers