St. John Paul II STEM Academy

Last updated

St. John Paul II STEM Academy at Bellarmine-Jefferson
John Paul 2 STEM Academy.jpg
Address
St. John Paul II STEM Academy
465 East Olive Avenue

Burbank
,
(Los Angeles County)
,
California
91501

United States
Coordinates 34°11′3″N118°18′20″W / 34.18417°N 118.30556°W / 34.18417; -118.30556
Information
Type Private, Coeducational
MottoGod helping me, I will do my best today
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic
Patron saint(s) St. John Paul II
Established2019
StatusClosed
Closed2020
PresidentDr. Jeff Hilger
Grades 9-12
Athletics conference CIF - Southern Section
Camino Del Rey Association
Accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges [1]
Website http://www.jpstem.org

St. John Paul II STEM Academy at Bellarmine-Jefferson was a private, STEM-focused Catholic high school in Burbank, California, launched in August 2019. It was owned and administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles at the former site of Bellarmine-Jefferson High School, which had closed in 2018. [2] St. John Paul II STEM Academy closed in 2020 after one year of operation. [3]

Contents

Background

In October 2017, The Archdiocese of Los Angeles announced that it would close Bellarmine-Jefferson High School at the end of the 2017–18 academic year, and would re-open after restructuring in 2019. The creation of a STEM Academy was announced in June 2018, with an opening date of August 2019 and Jeff Hilger hired as its founding director. [4] The school would be dedicated to the recently-canonized St. John Paul II. [5]

The COVID-19 pandemic dealt a heavy blow to Archdiocesan schools, and the nascent academy closed in 2020 after a single year of operation. [6]

Academics

JP2 STEM Academy had two specialized pathways: Engineering and Media Arts. The academic day was to feature a 4×4 block schedule. Students would take four semester-length courses at a time, arranged in a block schedule. Students would also complete courses in ethics and humanities. In order to graduate, each senior would have completed a Capstone Project. [7]

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ WASC-ACS. "WASC-Accrediting Commission for Schools". Archived from the original on August 14, 2009. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  2. ↑ "St. John Paul II Academy Will Replace Bell-Jeff High in 2019". MyBurbank. August 13, 2018. Archived from the original on May 3, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Bell-Jeff and St. John Paul II Information". Archdiocese of Los Angeles. March 6, 2021. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2021. In August 2019, St. John Paul II STEM Academy at Bellarmine-Jefferson launched with a freshman class but ceased operations in June 2020 after one year.
  4. ↑ Campa, Andrew J. (December 11, 2018). "St. John Paul II STEM Academy introduces itself to Burbank". Burbank Leader. Archived from the original on September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  5. ↑ Campa, Andrew J. (August 13, 2019), "St. John Paul II STEM Academy opens with small but hopeful class", Burbank Leader, retrieved September 18, 2023
  6. ↑ Campa, Andrew J. (April 3, 2021), "Six Los Angeles Catholic schools to close, the pandemic a final blow after years of struggle", The Los Angeles Times, archived from the original on June 1, 2023, retrieved September 18, 2023
  7. ↑ "New L.A. STEM school inspired by JPII". Catholic News Agency. Archived from the original on May 3, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.