Queen of Peace holds St. Catherine of Siena Congress
May 31, 2012 1:12PM
Queen of Peace principal Mark Kay Nickels (from left), student Yasmeen Abdellatif, St. Catherine of Siena coordinator Joyce Cruse, student Allyssa Mejia and school president Anne O’Malley. | Supplied Photo
Updated: July 6, 2012 8:39AM
Queen of Peace High School recently held its annual St. Catherine of Siena Congress.
The St. Catherine of Siena Scholar Program, coordinated by Joyce Cruse, allows students to conduct research on a topic of their choosing in a fashion similar to a college-level independent study.
The congress gives each senior in the program the opportunity to defend her research to faculty, staff, family and peers during a 25-minute oral presentation. To join the program, students must maintain a 3.8 GPA, write a reflective essay, receive teacher recommendations, and pass an interview.
The application process happens at the end of a student’s freshman year, and her research then spans the remaining three years of her high school career. The projects that students pursue must be interdisciplinary in nature, link to one of the five Dominican values or a social justice principle, and attempt to answer a significant question with societal implications.
Seniors Yasmeen Abdellatif, of Burbank, and Allyssa Mejia, of Chicago, were named St. Catherine of Siena Scholars this year.
Abdellatif’s question explored whether there is bias in the American media’s coverage of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and, if so, how is this bias shown.
Mejia took a look at society’s current dependence on technology with her question, “What are the academic and social implications of using technology, such as laptops, in high school?”
Another component of the program, in addition to research and analysis, was to develop an action plan.
Abdellatif’s plan involved teaching two classes for the U.S. and world issue class and attempted to educate others about critical listening while watching the news. Mejia’s plan involved a day without technology in the classroom.
Provided to the SouthtownStar
