Science
AHA’s award-winning, nationally recognized STREAM curriculum allows Angels to attain the scientific knowledge, skills, and literacy that are essential to meaningfully interact with our ever-changing world. The Academy’s unique approach cultivates curiosity, fosters the development of rational thought processes, and empowers individuals to seek creative solutions to complicated questions. Students enjoy a high-degree of enthusiasm as they become familiar with our rich curriculum, experienced instructors, state-of-the-art instrumentation, and high-tech facilities.
- Four fully-equipped, modern laboratories provide students with hands-on resources. Our biology lab is outfitted with 30 compound light microscopes. The chemistry lab’s digital equipment includes pH meters and UV/visible spectrophotometers that collect data in real time from students’ computers.
- Historically, the success of AHA’s Advanced Placement Program in science has been outstanding, with a pass rate greater than 90% and an average of 700 on SAT II subject tests.
- Students can potentially graduate with up to three full-year college-level courses. While the graduation requirement is three years of science, AHA’s unique schedule enables science oriented students to “double up” during their junior and senior years, ultimately giving them six courses.
- The Honors Anatomy & Physiology and Honors Environmental Science courses are approved for college credit through the Fairleigh Dickinson Middle College Program.
AHA science organizations include:
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Science National Honor Society
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Forensics Club: Investigate criminal cases using science and technology to establish facts.
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Angels in Anatomy: Explore the human body’s systems during this in-school activity.
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MEDS Club: Explore careers in health care.
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Robotics: Build functional robots and compete in tournaments.
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Project Greenhouse: Grow produce in AHA’s on-campus greenhouse and garden, and donate the fresh vegetables and herbs to a local food bank.
Requirements: All students must take a minimum of three years of laboratory science courses for graduation. The three courses must include biology, chemistry, and physics.
Science Courses
Biology
Biology - Honors
Chemistry
Chemistry - Honors
Chemistry - High Honors
Physics
Physics - Honors
Advanced Placement Courses
The Advanced Placement Program allows students to pursue college-level studies while they are attending high school. No transfers into an AP course will be permitted after June 30. Grades in course prerequisites must be maintained through final exams. Courses are fast-paced and rigorous, and all students take the AP exam in May.
Biology - Advanced Placement
Chemistry - Advanced Placement
Physics I - Advanced Placement
Physics 2 - Advanced Placement
Electives
Anatomy & Physiology
Anatomy & Physiology - Honors
Engineering - Innovation and Design - Honors
Engineering: Models and Toolkits
Forensics
Robotics and Automation
Environmental Science (Middle College Program)
Organic Chemistry - Honors (Middle College Program)
Science National Honor Society
SNHS cultivates a new group of young thinkers who will be the future of industry, research, and scientific exploration for America. The honor society pledges to:
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Encourage and recognize scientific and intellectual thought
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Advance students’ knowledge of classical and modern science
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Communicate with the scientific community
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Aid the civic community with its comprehension of science
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Encourage students to participate in community service, and encourage a dedication to the pursuit of scientific knowledge that benefits all humankind
Surgical Research
The Academy of the Holy Angels offers a Surgical Research Course in partnership with Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. Each semester, four seniors participate in a surgical science laboratory course working with a student coordinator at Englewood Hospital and science faculty at AHA. Students enjoy this unique opportunity to gain experience in a research setting beyond AHA’s classrooms and learn the fundamentals of in vivo surgical methods. Topics include micro-suturing, tissue collection, renal vessel isolation, bioethics, and aseptic surgery. Students are also introduced to advanced analytical methodology such as enzyme linked immunosorbent (ELISA) assays and make use of specialized equipment like UV/visible spectrophotometers and photomicroscopes.
AHA students accepted into this competitive program typically have a high level of enthusiasm for pursuing a STEM career, particularly one in medicine. The course is held after school one day per week for 22 weeks. Selected students attend a two-hour orientation seminar at Englewood Hospital prior to beginning the course. AHA covers the costs for students through generous donations from benefactors.
Project Greenhouse
Project Greenhouse began as a school-wide STREAM project in which Angels constructed a functional greenhouse near the science classrooms. Each year, students plant seeds and later transplant the seedlings in the school garden. When the crops are harvested, the fresh produce is donated to local food banks.
Project Greenhouse volunteers gain experience in budgeting, safety, planning and design, construction, accessorizing, planting, harvesting, and disbursing products. This is a hands-on opportunity to carry out cross-curricular studies in biology, environmental science, physics, mathematics, engineering, and technology, stressing the importance of the interaction among the sciences and the simultaneous expression of humanistic values.
Angel volunteers prepare the garden beds, plant the seedlings, care for the plants, harvest the crops, and deliver the produce. A team of adult moderators/teachers provides guidance.
3-D Printer and Scanner
Model, visualize, and create your own 3-D designs. AHA’s STREAM program includes state-of-the-art 3-D printing and 3-D scanning capabilities. Use Google Sketch-Up to provide detailed project specifications and create intricate productions. Access to this sophisticated technology is already improving students’ understanding of various subject areas, including engineering, medicine, and architecture.
Robotics Club
Discover the iterative process and trial and error cycles that allow engineering teams to solve problems. As a member of the Angelbots or Anjoules, you will collaborate to plan, design, build, and program a fully functional robot and field test it at the FIRST Tech® Challenge. Teams are evaluated on robotic controls and functions, and the engineering notebook and planning process that led to the completed robot. As you build your robot, you and your team will develop key engineering skills:
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Define the problem based on the competition scenario.
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Brainstorm possible solutions.
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Develop strategy to maximize output (competition points).
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Define team approach to execute. This project involves planning, allocation of team resources and work, the design of the robot, testing and evaluation of a prototype that validates the design, computer programming, documentation of the engineering process, team communication, and communication of the results through documentation and presentation.
