Graduates Are More Confident and Qualified Than Ever
Today, Fontbonne Hall Academy in Bay Ridge offers a college preparatory education that ensures that its graduates are more confident and more qualified than ever.
The school offers a rigorous college preparatory experience with Advanced Placement classes that students may take as early as ninth grade. It also boasts a STEM program like no other, that includes a mandatory, project-based, ninth-grade course called practical engineering and advanced physical science, a three-year college-credit science research program and the ability to begin taking a sequence of AP science courses in the 10th grade.
Fontbonne Hall is proud to be the only high school in the United States to offer the prestigious Brown University Pre-College Scholars Program in Engineering. Students enrolled in this program may graduate with a STEM diploma with a designation in either engineering, research, or computer science.
Similar to the STEM diploma, Fontbonne is also developing a diploma with a music designation. In order to earn the music-designation diploma, students will be required to complete five units of music courses in four years. The curriculum will include history of music, music theory and three units of music performance that can be earned through participation in vocal ensemble and select chorus. The school is working toward adding instrumental courses in 2017-2018.
Fontbonne’s well-established and award-winning Art Program begins immediately in the ninth grade with a one-year required art course in visual perception, followed by a three-year course of study in major art.
These courses include skills such as mechanical drawing, classical composition, contemporary design, painting, and the development of a portfolio of artwork that incorporates a variety of 21st-century materials that must be part of a contemporary artist’s experience for both personal expression and undergraduate admission.
Starting this fall, Fontbonne is proud to partner with Collective Movements to begin a dance curriculum. This initial class will focus on women’s empowerment, individual confidence and diversity of thought, with an emphasis on the collaborative and creative processes. It will allow students to hone the building blocks of creative movement, allow them to develop their own choreography and culminate in a final performance in June.
Also new for the 2016-17 school year is the construction of a state-of-the-art broadcast studio that allows Fontbonne’s English department to add to its journalism course offerings. Broadcast journalism is now available to seniors who have completed print journalism courses. Building on the foundation of print journalism, broadcast journalism will further develop students’ skills in news writing, videography, editing and visual storytelling.
In addition to its wide variety of academic offerings, Fontbonne is inspired by the philosophy and charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph. The Sisters believe that the Catholic faith challenges one to recognize that life’s journey is guided by spiritual growth. Fontbonne educates its young women to have a strong foundation in ethics, dignity, integrity and compassion.
Visit the website, www.fontbonne.org, for information or contact the director of admissions, Victoria Adamo, at vadamo@fontbonne.org, to schedule a visit.
