Science

Introduction
The Bellarmine Science Department offers a full range of courses with the belief that a substantial experience in natural science is needed by every college-bound student. These courses are grounded in the Jesuit tradition of the promotion of justice and service to others. A balanced core of three years of lab science is required of all students. Freshmen may take a challenge exam and with a satisfactory score be placed in Biology or Biology Honors and then take Chemistry as sophomores. Otherwise they may take Earth Science in the freshman year, and follow it with Biology and then Chemistry. Students expecting to follow a science-oriented course of study in college are advised to enroll in Physics or one or more of the science electives during their junior and/or senior years. After the requirements have been met, students may choose from an extensive and varied list of science electives. All courses provide students with opportunities to develop skills in forming hypotheses, interpreting data, and drawing conclusions. In each course, science as a process is the unifying theme.

Honors Program
Students wishing to enroll in Honors or Advanced Placement courses in the Science Department must apply for admission, with the exception of Biology Honors, which is open enrollment for Sophomores. This process asks for an essay indicating the student’s overall interest and aptitude for honors and/or A.P. work, a report of the student’s grades in his current math and science courses, a recommendation by the current math and science teachers, and a challenge examination. In addition, the student should have maintained a 3.0 GPA both in his math and science courses and in the overall course of study at Bellarmine. This GPA, however, can be supplemented by a high recommendation from the current teacher and/or a particularly strong application essay. Application forms for the desired courses are made available to the student well in advance of the scheduling process to allow ample time to write an essay and submit it to the teacher for a recommendation. Students who have not been pre-selected for Honors/A.P. courses may not list those courses on their request sheets.