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" . Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  2. ↑ "St. John Paul II Academy Will Replace Bell-Jeff High in 2019". MyBurbank. 13 August 2018.
  3. ↑ "Bell-Jeff and St. John Paul II Information". Archdiocese of Los Angeles. 2021-03-06. Retrieved 2021-05-30. In August 2019, St. John Paul II STEM Academy at Bellarmine-Jefferson launched with a freshmen 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. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  5. ↑ Campa, Andrew J. (August 13, 2019), "St. John Paul II STEM Academy opens with small but hopeful class", Burbank Leader, retrieved 2023-09-18
  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, retrieved 2023-09-18
  7. ↑ "New L.A. STEM school inspired by JPII". Catholic News Agency.