An Education without Limitation
Infused in the liberal arts, Mother McAuley’s academic curriculum centralizes on six key interdisciplinary skills found throughout all disciplines — from Science and Math to English and World Languages to Music and the Visual Arts.
Girls inherently learn differently than boys so the Mother McAuley academic program tailors instruction to girls’ learning styles, including experiential learning opportunities, peer collaboration, personalized instructor feedback, and authentic assessments.
What does Liberal Arts mean?
"A liberal arts education offers an expansive intellectual grounding in all kinds of humanistic inquiry.
By exploring issues, ideas and methods across the humanities and the arts, and the natural and social sciences, you will learn to read critically, write cogently and think broadly. These skills will elevate your conversations in the classroom and strengthen your social and cultural analysis; they will cultivate the tools necessary to allow you to navigate the world’s most complex issues.
A liberal arts education challenges you to consider not only how to solve problems, but also trains you to ask which problems to solve and why, preparing you for positions of leadership and a life of service to the nation and all of humanity."
Taken from Princeton University
Other institutions founded in the liberal arts include the University of Notre Dame, Harvard College, University of Chicago, St. Louis University, and many more!
COURSE HIGHLIGHTS
Mother McAuley continually adds courses to their offerings based off the needs of our changing world, in order to make our young women future ready.
Broadcast Journalism
This is a full year course intended for students interested in broadcast journalism and production. Students will learn all aspects of a news production and that it is a team effort - all positions are equally dependent on each other for the success of the production. This course will include how to report, write, and edit for broadcast news, speech and communication skills for reporting and interviewing, and media literacy and ethical standards of journalism. At the production level, this course will include how to use the technical equipment involved as well as learning how to produce and direct. Students will showcase their work on camera and behind the scenes. Student work will be broadcast to the McAuley community.
Personal Finance (Financial Literacy)
This course provides students with the foundations and financial skills in money management. Students will explore real life financial scenarios such as buying a car, filling out the FAFSA form, understanding pay stubs, filing taxes, credit scores, types of insurance, consumer protection, budgeting, interest rates and investing. This is a graduation requirement for all students.
AP Computer Science Principles (Amazon Future Engineer Course)
This year-long course is designed to be the equivalent to the first semester of Introductory Computer Science in college and follows the College Board AP curriculum. The focus of the course is using technology and programming as a means to solve problems. Student discovery and creativity are central to the course. Independent and collaborative work is stressed as students work to create digital artifacts similar to the process invoked by artists, writers, computer scientists and engineers. Several computer languages will be used during the course including Python, HTML and Scratch.
Inquiry Through STEM
Mother McAuley has earned the College Board AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) for the fifth year in a row. Schools honored with an AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award have expanded access to AP computer science courses for female students in their communities. Mother McAuley was one of only 847 recognized for improving female representation in AP CSP, and one of only six in the archdiocese of Chicago.
According to the data, female students who take AP CSP in high school are more than five times as likely to major in computer science in college, compared to female students of similar background and academic preparation who didn’t take AP CSP. The study also finds AP Computer Science Principles students are nearly twice as likely to enroll in AP Computer Science A (CSA), and that for most students, AP CSP serves as a stepping stone to other advanced AP STEM coursework.
Amazon Future Engineers
McAuley is one of the first all girls’ schools in the country to become part of the Amazon Future Engineers Program. This program provides students with access to special classes and Amazon resources, as well as a chance to earn a college scholarship and an internship at Amazon, one of the world's premier technology companies.
Academically Rigorous Courses
Mother McAuley has been named to the Advanced Placement® Program School Honor Roll, earning Gold distinction. McAuley is also honored with the 2024 AP Access Award for ensuring AP coursework is equally available to students no matter their backgrounds.
The AP School Honor Roll recognizes schools that have done outstanding work to welcome more students into AP courses and support them on the path to college success. Schools can earn this recognition annually based on criteria that reflect a commitment to increasing college-going culture, providing opportunities for students to earn college credit, and maximizing college readiness.