De La Salle Scholars Program

List of 6 items.

• Required Courses

  Grade 9
  Honors Scripture, Honors English, Honors Math, and Honors Biology
  
  Grade 10
  Honors English, Honors Math, Honors Chemistry, and AP World History
  
  Grade 11
  AP English Language and Composition or Honors English 11, as well as a combination of three or more additional honors and/or AP classes
  
  Grade 12 
  Honors Seminar, a minimum of four honors and/or AP classes, and the Independent Study Project

• Freshman Scholars Orientation

  Scholars embark on two orientation activities, an outdoor team-building adventure in the spring of their 8th-grade year, and a scholars-specific orientation day immediately prior to the start of freshman year. The orientations help scholars acclimate to St. John’s and give them a preview of future challenges and opportunities.

• Sophomore Field Experiences

  Field experiences help scholars evolve into more active learners. The four core areas of experiential learning revolve around faith, reason, art, and politics. Scholars visit exhibitions and museums, enjoy performances, conduct experiments in real-life settings, and engage in scholarly discussions with experts.
  
  Past field experiences include:

  • Hamilton performance at the Kennedy Center 
  • National Cryptologic Museum
  • Museum of the Bible
  • International Spy Museum 
  • Ford Theatre performance
  • Shakespeare Theatre performance
  • Newseum
  • Smithsonian Museums (National Gallery, Dulles Air and Space Museum)
  • Natural History Museum Forensic Labs
  • United States Supreme Court
  • National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
  • Franciscan Monastery
  • Mount Vernon
  • The National Cathedral

• Independent Study Project

  Each year, the Scholars Program culminates with an independent study project. Students link their scholastic journey to create their project, providing the ultimate opportunity for experiential learning. Scholars may create and test a hypothesis, create a work of cultural expression, investigate a possible career/area of interest, or choose another area on which to focus. Students choose their topic junior year, work with several mentors throughout junior and senior year, then present their projects to members of the school community.
  
  Past projects include:
  
  

  • A custom-built device that converts electrical signals from decaying uranium into truly random passwords
  • A 90-page original play
  • Completion of Hazmat certification, an EMT course, and a volunteer firefighting experience
  • Creation and implementation of a school newspaper at San Miguel School
  • State-specific marketing plan for a sports betting company
  • Conversion of a manual bicycle into an electric bicycle
  • Implementation of a "puzzle-time" program at memory care facilities in Maryland and Brazil
  • Understanding a political campaign through the eyes of the executive director of Teen Democrats of Maryland
  • Two-week dance camp for elementary school students
  • Creating a sustainable food source for Nauru, a small island in Oceania
  • Development and implementation of Model UN as an extracurricular activity at St. John’s
  • Creation of a high school history course titled, Women in World History

• Voyages to Ancient Civilizations

  During their senior year, scholars have an opportunity to travel internationally during spring break. The trip takes students to the sites at the center of the ancient world where culture and civilization flourished.

• College Counseling

  The scholars director serves as the college counselor for all scholars and works closely with the College Counseling Office on all aspects of the college counseling process. 

   
  De La Salle Scholars have access to college counseling as follows:

  
  

  Junior Year

  In the fall, the scholars director meets with parents and students to begin the college application process. Scholars are given access to SCOIR, an online database for college and university information. Additionally, the scholars director meets with individually with scholars multiple times in the spring of junior year to select senior year courses and continue the college counseling process.

   

  During the spring of junior year, scholars visit college campuses with their fellow scholars and the scholars director. These visits help scholars better understand of the college application process and the various options for higher education. Scholars also have the opportunity to connect with St. John’s alumni scholars who are attending the colleges that they visit.

   

  Senior Year

  Throughout the college application process, students receive step-by-step counseling, mentoring, and guidance, working closely with the scholars director and the College Counseling Office.