Academics

List of 13 items.

• AP Program

  The AP Program at Padua Academy is offered in partnership with the College Board, bringing courses that are college-level in rigor to students still in high school.  Students from all around the world prepare to take their AP Exams in early May each year, an opportunity to demonstrate what skills and content they have learned through their participation in the course.  
  
  Visit Padua's AP Program page for more facts. 
  
  Courses offered:
  
  AP® English Language & Composition
  AP® English Literature & Composition
  AP® Precalculus
  AP® Statistics
  AP® Calculus AB
  AP® Calculus BC
  AP® Physics I
  AP® Chemistry
  AP® Biology
  AP® Environmental Science
  AP® United States History
  AP® Comparative Government
  AP® European History
  AP® Psychology
  AP® French Language
  AP® Spanish Language
  AP® 2-D Art & Design
  AP® Computer Science Principals
  AP® Computer Science A
  AP® Seminar
  AP® Research

• Arts & Media

  The Arts and Media electives offer a range of classes to help students succeed in written, verbal, and visual communication. The skills taught in these classes prepare students for careers in such fields as advertising, broadcasting, public relations, film-making, publication design, and marketing.
  
  Courses offered:
  
  Hon Advanced Multimedia Journalism
  Convergence Media I
  Convergence Media II
  Television & Video Production
  Hon Advanced Television & Video Production 
  Publication Design
  Advanced Publication Design
  Hon Advanced Publication Design
  Into to Digital Photography
  Intro to Art
  Intro to Graphic Design
  Graphic Design I: Drawing Digitally
  Graphic Design II: Storytelling Through Art
  AP® 2-D Art & Design
  Art I: Development of Skills
  Art II: Exploration of Materials
  Art III: Personal Expression
  Art IV: Portfolio Development
  Chorus I
  Chorus II
  Chorus III 
  Chorus IV
  Band I
  Band II
  Band III
  Band IV

• Business

  The Business electives provide students with a strong foundation in business fundamentals, economics, and personal finance. Courses emphasize real-world application through hands-on experiences, including Business Leadership, where students manage the school store’s operations and guide its in-person and online presence. Students can also take Entrepreneurship, a full-year dual enrollment elective offered in partnership with the University of Delaware. These courses prepare students for success in business, leadership, and entrepreneurial careers.
  
  Courses offered:
  
  Business Fundamentals
  Economics
  Personal Finance
  Business Leadership
  Hon Business Leadership
  Hon Entrepreneurship (Dual Enrollment with UD)

• Driver Education

  The Delaware Department of Education offers this course for sophomores. There is a fee for all out-of-state students taking the course. This fee is determined annually in the summer by the State of Delaware.
  
  The course includes classroom and on-the-road instruction and may be taken only during tenth grade. The blue certificate permit earned by successful completion of the course is not recognized by the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey or Maryland.

• Engineering

  The Engineering Department offers electives, which help the students see through the gap between the abstract knowledge of science and mathematics and the critical problems we face today and will encounter in the future. The fundamental principles of engineering, such as the design process and systems, provide a solid framework for the courses offered. The Engineering curriculum follows the Standards for Technological Literacy (ITEEA) and National Science Education Standards.
  
  Courses offered:
  
  Discover Engineering
  Topics in Biomedical Engineering
  Engineering Design
  CAD & 3D Printing

• English

  The English Department believes that the study of literature stimulates critical thinking, assists students in self-understanding and provides educational experiences, which integrate spiritual, personal and social values.

   

  The English curriculum is designed to improve students’ awareness of the important role that language and literature play in the 21^st Century. The program emphasizes the development of communication and critical thinking skills.

   

  The English program is a fluent and progressive development of collegiate level skills of reading, writing and speaking.  The program fosters students’ ability to become discriminating users of print and electronic media. 
  
  Courses offered:
  
  Fear and Folly in Gothic Literature
  Hon Into to Literature
  Intro to Literature
  Hon World Literature
  World Literature
  AP® English Language & Composition
  Hon Classic Literature
  Classic Literature
  AP® English Literature & Composition
  Hon Contemporary Literature
  Rose of Detective Fiction
  Imagination and the Individual
  Journeys and Encounters
  The Stories of Women
  The Art of Storytelling Through Drama
  Tales of Pride, Prejudice, and Progress
  Creative Writing
  Public Speaking
  Film Studies
  AP® Seminar

• Health & Physical Education

  Health & Physical Education electives promote lifelong wellness by helping students develop healthy habits, build physical fitness, and understand the connection between mind, body, and spirit. Courses encourage personal responsibility, teamwork, and overall well-being.
  
  Courses offered:
  
  PE - Personal Fitness
  Health & Wellness
  PE - Fitness for Life

• Mathematics

  The Mathematics Department encourages students of various abilities to reach their fullest potential through logical and critical thinking. While accepting the diversity and inherent talents of individual students, we endeavor to produce mathematically literate students who are able to adapt to a rapidly growing and changing society, a society that increasingly depends on technology.

   

  Recognizing that students' abilities differ, we offer several levels of instruction that contribute to individual progress and encourage student achievement. All math courses incorporate individual and cooperative learning as well as the use of technology and real world problem solving into the curriculum.

   

  The department will continue to implement the curriculum and evaluation standards for school mathematics commissioned by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. The new common core standards will continue to guide the revision of our school mathematics curriculum.
  
  Courses offered:
  
  Hon Algebra I
  Algebra I - 1512
  Algebra I - 1513
  Hon Geometry
  Geometry - 1522
  Geometry - 1523
  Algebra II / Trigonometry
  Hon Algebra II / Trigonometry
  Algebra II
  Pre-Calculus
  AP® Pre-Calculus
  Statistics & Probability
  Applied Statistics & Trigonometry
  Statistics & Probability
  Hon Statistics & Probability
  AP® Statistics
  AP® Calculus AB
  Hon Calculus
  AP® Calculus BC

• Religious Studies

  The Catholic Christian faith is the foundation and identity of Padua Academy.  The role of this department is to give students an experience of faith while learning about the Catholic Church and its teachings. We welcome students with varying degrees of awareness and practice of Catholicism, as well as students of differing religious backgrounds.

   

  The goal of the Religious Studies Department is to present and proclaim the mysteries of the Catholic faith in a manner that is age-appropriate, recognizing that the process of conversion is unique for each student.  We encourage students to embrace the Christian lifestyle as a life-long journey of growth in union with God, through Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit.

   

  The Religious Studies program provides a course of studies that is authentic, challenging, comprehensive and contemporary.  It does so in a religious atmosphere that promotes a faith that is living, conscious, and active – a dynamic presence within the world.

  
  Courses offered:
  
  Scared Scripture & Christology
  Paschal Mystery & the Church
  Christian Morality
  Christian Vocations
  Comparative Religions

• Science

  For centuries, science has been the key to unlocking the mysteries of the natural world.  The study of science provides students with a sense of order in the universe and allows them to appreciate the precision with which the laws of chemistry and physics operate.  Science relies on curiosity, objectivity, and healthy skepticism.  For today’s student, science provides information that will enable her to make responsible and caring decisions about the complex moral and social issues that must be addressed.

   

  The Science Department strives to present the student with knowledge of concepts and principles that are essential to understanding natural phenomena.  To this end, the Science Department offers hands-on experiences that teach scientific information and methodology.  Department members stress the Catholic perspective applied to life in a scientific and technological society.

   

  Courses offered by the department will enable students to distinguish between scientific knowledge and personal opinion by inquiring and questioning.  Students will be led to recognize the role of observation and experimentation in the development of scientific theories.  They will be given the opportunity to gather and communicate their findings in various ways.  The Science Department aims to instill in their students an appreciation of the order and disorder in God’s universe, and the Christian woman’s role in it.
  
  Courses offered:
  
  Biology
  Hon Biology
  Chemistry
  Hon Chemistry
  AP® Physics I
  Hon Physics
  Physics
  AP® Chemistry
  Advanced Chemistry
  Hon Organic Chemistry
  AP® Biology
  Anatomy & Physiology
  Sports Medicine
  AP® Environmental Science
  Environmental Science
  Ethology: Animal Behavior
  Virology
  Ecology
  Oceanography
  
  

• Social Studies

  The Social Studies curriculum specifically aims to help students understand their American heritage as it developed in Western civilization and to appreciate the development of culture and society of non-Western civilizations.  The program involves an organized, comprehensive exploration of the social activity of human beings.  This activity may be on the level of inter-personal relations, the individual and her community, or the community of nations.

                          

  For each course in the Social Studies Department, the objectives for the student remain the same: to develop an appreciation of the diversity of people and cultures, to encourage an attitude of tolerance and harmony based on Christian values, and to prepare students to function as responsible citizens of the future.
  
  Courses Offered:
  
  Intro to Law
  Multicultural Studies
  World Civilization
  Hon World Civilization
  United States History
  Hon United States History
  AP® United States History
  Modern US History & Government
  Hon Modern US History & Government
  AP® Comparative Government
  AP® European History
  Psychology
  AP® Psychology
  Criminalistics
  Global Issues
  The Nazi Holocaust
  Survivors' Stories & Human Rights
   Perspectives on Culture
  Uncovering American Women's History
  Women of Faith & Social Action
  AP® Research

• Technology

  Padua recognizes the importance of computing technologies in rounding out our students' education. Our technology department at Padua not only provides the infrastructure and resources to support each student's individual courseload, but also provides instruction in diverse computer science topics such as programming, systems and networking. Our courses are endorsed and supported by industry giants Microsoft and Cisco Systems, and aligned with professional certifications such as CompTIA A+ and Cisco CCNA.
  
  Courses offered:
  
  Intro to Information Technology
  Web Page Design
  Programming I - Python
  Programming II - Java
  AP® Computer Science Principles
  AP® Computer Science A
  Intro to App Design & JavaScript

• World Languages

  The Department of World Languages is dedicated to making second language acquisition a meaningful and authentic endeavor for our students.  The curriculum of each language aims to foster the 21^st Century skills that promote successful interaction in the world community, including collaboration, media and technology literacy, and global awareness.  Through active participation in the target language, students will develop proficiency in interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational communication, empowering them to express themselves with conviction.
  
  Courses offered:
  
  French I
  Hon Spanish I
  Italian I
  Spanish I
  French II
  Italian II
  Hon Spanish II
  Spanish II
  Hon French III
  French III
  Hon Italian III
  Italian III
  Hon Spanish III
  Spanish III
  AP® French Language
  Hon French IV
  Hon Italian IV: Culture & Conversation
  Italian IV
  AP® Spanish Language
  Hon Spanish IV: Culture & Conversation
  Spanish IV