St. John Paul II STEM Academy

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]

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

, ,
91501

United States
Coordinates34°11′3″N 118°18′20″W / 34.18417°N 118.30556°W / 34.18417; -118.30556
Information
TypePrivate, 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
Grades9-12
Athletics conferenceCIF - Southern Section
Camino Del Rey Association
AccreditationWestern Association of Schools and Colleges[1]
Websitehttp://www.jpstem.org

Background

edit

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

edit

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

edit

Notes and references

edit
  1. ^ WASC-ACS. "WASC-Accrediting Commission for Schools". Archived from the original on 2009-08-14. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  2. ^ "St. John Paul II Academy Will Replace Bell-Jeff High in 2019". MyBurbank. 13 August 2018. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  3. ^ "Bell-Jeff and St. John Paul II Information". Archdiocese of Los Angeles. 2021-03-06. Archived from the original on 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2021-05-30. 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 2023-09-18. 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, archived from the original on 2023-06-01, retrieved 2023-09-18
  7. ^ "New L.A. STEM school inspired by JPII". Catholic News Agency. Archived from the original on 2019-05-03. Retrieved 2019-09-05.
edit