Thanks for visiting us at Open House! Click here for the answers to the popcorn experiment.
If science is the accumulated knowledge of the natural world, systematized and formulated with reference to the discovery of general truths, then its continued study is essential for future discoveries.
At Pius XI, students are provided with personal hands-on experiences in scientific inquiry, through which they study the natural world and propose explanations based on real evidence. Through labs and activities that both integrate and connect the major areas of science, students learn to understand that science is an on-going process of inquiry rather than merely an accumulation of unrelated facts.
Students at all levels will develop abilities to express their conceptual understanding of fundamental ideas through oral, written, mathematical and graphical communication.
Students may choose a core curriculum or a customized science curriculum including various elective courses offered each semester. All science courses are lab-based and meet college entrance requirements. Advanced Placement classes are offered for those students seriously interested in pursuing post-secondary scientific study. Students can also participate in Laboratory Investigations in Forensic Science and the Rube Goldberg Competition. Additionally, the department offers interested students the opportunity to participate in an annual Key Largo scuba trip.
Prospective students are invited to participate in a science competition for tuition scholarships.
The Science Program is designed to:
- Develop your scientific perspective to create and use specific criteria to identify, analyze and evaluate evidence and explanations of the physical world.
- Give you the tools to apply new knowledge to generate and assess problems, solving them with increasing frequency and complexity.
- Allow you many opportunities to integrate major scientific themes, such as energy, change, form and function, across various scientific disciplines.
- Provide you with various experiences to use technology for the acquisition, analysis and presentation of data.
- Be taken, as required by state law, for two years, but three years is highly recommended. You may decide to pursue a core science curriculum or you may customize your science curriculum in consultation with your current science teacher. Biology and Physics are offered at the Advanced Placement level for college credit. The two years must consist of Biology and one other year-long course.
Courses:
Biology
Principles of Chemistry and Physics
Anatomy and Physiology
Astronomy
Chemistry
Environmental Science
Human Genetics
Physics
Laboratory Investigations in Forensic Science
Advanced Biology
Advanced Biotechnology
AP Physics
Independent Study
Key Largo Marine Ecology Study