Academics

ACCREDITATION AND PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Kellenberg Memorial High School is registered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York and accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Kellenberg Memorial High School does not require nor offer Regents Exams. 

ART

The Art Department seeks to provide some of the fundamentals of art and to expose students to a wide range of artists and their works, via art history and the studio experience. All sixth-grade students take Art 6 and all eighth-grade students take Art 8. All Seniors will take Art 12. Seniors are offered an optional full credit course entitled Art Portfolio Preparation, to better train them and gain additional material for their college-entrance portfolio. Seniors who take this course must successfully complete it in order to graduate.

COLLEGE TEST & APPLICATION PREP COURSE

All juniors are scheduled for a college preparatory course as part of their regular school day. The students are helped to prepare for both the ACT and SAT exams by becoming familiar with the types of questions contained in the various sections and learning the most successful approaches to each.  Time during the course is also dedicated to the beginnings of the college selection and application processes.  No academic credit is awarded for this course.

COMPUTERS AND TECH

Computer Education offers Using Tech Tools and Horizons & Technology: each is a one year, half credit program for freshman and sophomore students. Generally the courses focus on acclimating students to purposeful use of social and educational technology in order to supplement their academic coursework in other subjects, including some digital SAT and ACT preparation. In the senior year, students may opt for one of three elective computer courses: Advanced Computer Applications, Computer Science, and Digital Media. All tyro students take Computer 7 which meets once each cycle.

ENGLISH

The English Program combines the study of literature with developmental instruction and exercise in composition, grammar, vocabulary, and reading. Classroom discussion of reading assignments covers the major aspects of American English and World Literature. All sixth-grade students take reading. The writing program exists within the English courses for grades 6-12. In addition, we offer a half-unit course called The Writing Lab and a full unit course called College Writing which gives particular attention to writing instruction, construction, and output in the freshman and senior years.

HEALTH

The Health Education course is taught during the Sophomore year. The course is designed to present students with the information, skills, and resources to achieve optimal physical and mental health and maintain a high standard of health throughout their lives. For seventh grade a health class is taught once per cycle as part of the Physical Education course.

HISTORY

Latin School students take three years of history. Courses for the high school include a year of World History, a year of European History, and a two-year course in American History which includes Economics in the Senior Year. Students also examine the Constitution, current events, and contemporary trends in the context of political, economic, and social history.

MATHEMATICS

The math program seeks to emphasize the basics of computational skills, as well as developing a conceptual understanding of math. Students are required to take math during each year. In high school, students take Geometry as freshmen, Algebra 1 (for those who did not complete this course in 8th grade) or Algebra 2 and Trigonometry as sophomores, and Algebra 2 and Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, or Calculus 1 as juniors. Students who take Algebra 2 and Trigonometry as sophomores may apply to take Calculus 1 for their junior year math course followed by Calculus 2 in their senior year. Senior year course options include: Pre-Calculus, Statistics and Finance, Foundations of Calculus, and Calculus 1 and Calculus 2.

MUSIC

An Introduction to Music course is given to all students during their Junior Year. This course presents the historical development of music and includes biographies of master composers, their principal works, and their contribution to the advancement of musical composition. All seventh-grade students take Music 7 which presents fundamentals of music theory.

Students may choose to perform in Chorus, Band, or Orchestra. Interested students should arrange an audition with the appropriate director.  During the Senior year, students may elect to take a Music Theory class. In this class, students will explore the fundamentals of music composition, harmony, melody, rhythm, form, and structure.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

All students are required to take six years of physical education for grades 6-11. Juniors on an athletic team are exempt from physical education class for the trimester of that athletic season. The activities of the program for the six years include but are not limited to physical fitness testing, body conditioning and circuit training, weight training, aerobics, yoga, gymnastics, badminton, softball, basketball, team handball, lacrosse, soccer, flag football, volleyball, wrestling, archery, floor hockey, pickleball, and adventure games.

RELIGION

The goal of the Religion Department is to capture the vitality of the gospel message of Jesus Christ and present it to our students over the course of their Kellenberg Memorial experience. Our goal is for our students to know Christ, to understand the Roman Catholic tradition and to enable them to articulate their faith. Our seven-year Christocentric program focuses on Scripture, the person of Jesus, the lives of the saints, the Seven Sacraments, Christian Morality using St. John Paul’s Theology of the Body and apologetics using the Catechism of the Catholic Church. We adhere to the Marian teachings of Blessed William Joseph Chaminade who encouraged us to create missionary disciples who will be the “Salt of the Earth and the Light of the World.”

SCIENCE

Latin School students take Life Science in the sixth grade, Physical Science in the seventh grade and Earth Science in the eighth grade. Students in grades 9 – 12 are required to study four years of science. Students take Biology, Chemistry, Physics and an elective senior year.  Electives include Environmental Studies, Health Sciences, Astronomy, Forensics, Sports Medicine, Geology and Engineering during their high school years. The goal of the science program is to develop and encourage an appreciation and an understanding of significant natural occurrences, facts and events in our human experience.

SENIOR SEMINARS

At the conclusion of the senior year, seminars are offered to seniors in Calculus, Statistics, Physics, Introduction to Law and Criminal Justice, and Economics. These seminars are designed to bridge the gap between the high school and college experience of introductory level courses in these fields. The seminars are offered for one to three hours per day two to three days per week throughout late May and June. It is the intention of these seminars to ease the transition to collegiate studies for those seniors who choose to avail themselves of this opportunity.

WORLD LANGUAGES

Students in the Latin School study Latin in grades 7 and 8. Kellenberg Memorial High School offers a four-year program of studies in French, Latin and Spanish for grades 9 – 12. High school students in the Honors Program study World Language for four years, while the students in the Academic Program study World Language for three years.