Artificial Intelligence has permeated many of the spaces we engage with every day, with education among the most prominent. As it reshapes educational spaces and processes for students and teachers alike, Bellarmine has been exploring how AI fits into our academic framework and institutional values.
The school’s goal is to find balance between progress and tradition, making space for the integration of AI tools where it serves academic objectives, while keeping effective policies in place to preserve the integrity of our academic requirements and expectations.
Through faculty-driven exploration, structured professional development, and a commitment to ethical use, Bellarmine is ensuring that AI serves as a mechanism to enhance student learning while maintaining Jesuit values of discernment and intellectual growth.
Exploring AI in the Classroom
Our journey with AI began in Fall 2023 when our Director of Library & Research Services, Mr. Paul Ballesteros, led an academic focus group of about 20 faculty members. The initiative provided a collaborative space for teachers to explore the potential role of AI in the classroom, and kicked off several months of discussion within the group about how AI could be leveraged as a learning tool (rather than a shortcut or a replacement for critical thinking).
By Spring 2024, the Academic Council had begun work on a vision statement to articulate Bellarmine’s planned approach to AI:
As a Jesuit Catholic institution, Bellarmine College Preparatory’s goal is to ensure that our students have educational experiences that develop their God-given talents. As a faculty and staff, we aim to use generative AI in ways that will support our overall educational objectives, particularly the development of critical thinking skills and knowledge of how to connect ideas and data.
Bellarmine is committed to ensuring equitable access to AI tools in service of our goals. As a faculty and staff, we support the use of generative AI in the learning process, and we recognize that we have responsibilities in guiding our students as they explore the ethical and effective use of this tool.
Establishing a Framework for Ethical AI Use
During a Professional Development Day for faculty and staff in August 2024, Father Matt Carnes, S.J. presented on the Ignatian theme “with one foot raised” – an invitation to remain open to new opportunities and poised to move forward or respond to a call, ready to take the next intentional step.
Later that month, an AI Task Force was formed under the leadership of Mr. Ballesteros, comprising faculty members from various academic departments, charged with overseeing the integration of AI into classroom instruction by interested teachers, while ensuring its alignment with Bellarmine’s educational values.
On the next Professional Development Day in September 2024, Dr. Brian Patrick Green, Director of Technology Ethics at SCU, presented on the ethical use of generative AI in education. Multiple hands-on breakout sessions followed, allowing faculty to experiment with AI tools and engage in meaningful discussions about the opportunities and challenges they present.
Introducing AI on Campus
In November 2024, Bellarmine took a decisive step in its AI journey by deciding to pilot Flint AI, a secure and personalized learning platform built for schools. Common use cases for the platform range from generating assessments and study tools based on a student’s learning level to supplementing existing teaching materials with AI-generated feedback and research tools.
Bellarmine’s Assistant Principal of Instruction, Ms. Lynne West, says usability and security features were what drew school administrators to Flint AI:
“After speaking with a number of schools who’ve also been piloting Flint AI, we were impressed by the versatility of the platform, the guardrails that are in place for students, and the responsiveness of Flint’s support staff.”
Ms. West led two training sessions in January 2025 to facilitate a seamless introduction to Flint AI. Most academic departments also had the opportunity to meet virtually with a teacher from the corresponding department at Brophy College Preparatory, another Jesuit high school that’s further along in their implementation of the platform.
By the end of January, Brophy faculty had visited Bellarmine’s campus and met with faculty in groups to aid with adoption of Flint AI. In February 2025, the AI Task Force began working on usage guidelines for adoption beginning in the 2025-26 school year.
AI in Practice at Bellarmine
Many of Bellarmine’s faculty have begun to utilize Flint AI as a means of enhancing classroom activities, increasing engagement, and promoting critical thinking. Across departments, students are interacting meaningfully with AI-generated materials:
- Spanish classes are using Flint AI to simulate real-world conversations like verbal price negotiations, improving students’ conversational fluency.
- English teachers encourage students to refine their writing by prompting AI for structured feedback on thesis statements and argument development.
- Math teachers are using AI to generate variations of math problems to help contextualize learned principles.
- History classes use AI to analyze primary sources, prompting discussions on historical bias and interpretation.
- Science teachers integrate AI-powered simulations to help students visualize complex biological and chemical processes.
These are just a few use cases in Bellarmine’s relatively early exploration of AI.
For Mr. Bill Colucci, who teaches Economics and AP US Government and Politics, using AI in the classroom was not a welcome suggestion. But experimenting with it revealed a few new ways to supplement and enrich his lessons:
"The inclusion of AI as another arrow in my quiver of teaching tools came as something of a surprise to me. As a self-described neo-Luddite, I generally shy away from new technology. However, I have run the gamut from seeing it as the death knell of thinking, to recognizing its value as a tool for both me and my students.
AI helps me in my workflow by clarifying ideas for lessons and sharpening my thinking about a particular topic. For my students, I can use AI to get them to apply concepts and ideas to multiple ‘real-world’ scenarios that can adapt and adjust in real time. I also know that my students have found AI to be a helpful tutor when it comes to preparing for a quiz or test.”
Mrs. Kasey Monaco, who teaches College Prep Calculus and AP Statistics, encourages students to use AI to check their work and problem solve:
“AI aids me in the creation of individualized and scaffolded assessments. I encourage students to check mathematical processes with AI, and to use it for procedural fluency when they’re stuck.”
For Mr. Matt DeLateur, who teaches English 2 Honors and serves as English Department Chair, AI is changing the way the department administers tests and essay assignments:
“AI has transformed the English classroom, moving us towards in-class tests and away from take-home essays. Though this has been a big change, it has also sparked innovation in our instruction and assessment structure. AI is also a wonderful help for students looking for feedback on their grammar and word choice, giving them virtually unlimited feedback on their own particular areas for growth in writing.”
Mr. Vern Cleary, who teaches 9th Grade CURA and Modern World History, has been using AI in creating more sophisticated speech assignments:
“AI has been a useful tool for guiding students to clarify, develop, elaborate on, and express their thinking. For example, we created an AI tutorial that walked students through brainstorming, outlining, drafting, and revising speeches. The AI speech workshop provided immediate, constructive, and highly individualized feedback for students. We then used another AI tutorial to provide students with immediate and accurate speech delivery feedback on their clarity, fluency, volume, and tone variation. We are just beginning to see the potential for highly efficient, timely, and individualized instruction.”
In Ms. Rachel Shapiro’s Spanish 1 class, AI allows students to have adaptive, one-on-one conversations with a virtual teacher:
“I used AI to create an in-class assignment where students could, individually, have a conversation with an ‘AI Señorita’ using the material we’ve learned this year, where each conversation progressed based on the answers students gave.”
Even Mr. Chris Meyercord, Bellarmine’s President since 2015, who continues to teach a senior English elective called The Short Story, has put AI to use in the classroom:
“I recently had a day when I had to miss class. We were studying Flannery O’Connor’s ‘Everything that Rises Must Converge’. To understand some of the references in the story, students need to be familiar with some of the philosophy of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois. Using Flint AI, I was able to create an interactive process for my students where they could dig into how the two philosophies are reflected and challenged in the text. They had 12 minutes to dialogue back and forth with the tool, and I was presented with the transcript of their conversation. \While I have always enjoyed teaching this aspect of the story, doing so via AI enabled (and required!) every one of my students to wrestle with and think about the concepts. Compared to my usual Socratic approach, this way, I knew how well every student understood the concepts, and where I needed to provide additional clarity. While it’s not how we ordinarily have done things, it certainly felt like cura personalis at work!”
Mapping Out the Future of AI at Bellarmine
As AI adoption spreads, especially within education spheres, Bellarmine will continue to refine its approach to find balance between forward progress and academic integrity. The guidelines that will go into effect in the new school year aim to optimize AI’s potential on campus, helping students focus on their learning goals rather than just task completion, and empowering them to self-assess and seek constructive feedback using AI tools. Bellarmine’s goal is for students utilizing AI to do so as a means of enhancing their autonomy and competence – rather than as a shortcut – to foster a culture of engaged, self-directed learners.
Bellarmine seeks to thoughtfully integrate emerging technologies while staying true to its educational and ethical principles. By engaging faculty in continuous learning and upskilling, Bellarmine is preparing students for a future where AI literacy will be a universal strength.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How is Bellarmine integrating AI while maintaining Jesuit values?
- Through ethical guidelines, faculty-driven exploration, and structured training, Bellarmine is using AI in ways that support critical thinking, student autonomy, and academic integrity. Teachers guide students in responsible AI use, balancing innovation with meaningful, engaged learning experiences.
- What steps has Bellarmine taken to introduce AI in classrooms?
- Bellarmine began discussions around AI in the fall of 2023, followed by dedicated professional development, expert-led ethics conversations, and faculty collaboration. An AI Task Force was created to oversee the school’s pilot of Flint AI, providing teacher training and peer collaboration with Brophy College Preparatory to facilitate responsible and effective AI integration.
- How are Bellarmine teachers using AI to support student learning?
- Teachers use AI to boost classroom engagement and adapt learning materials to students’ individual learning levels. Across subjects and departments, AI supports skill development: improving fluency in Spanish, refining analyses in English and history, visualizing scientific processes, and contextualizing math concepts. This thoughtful integration ensures that AI strengthens, rather than replaces, students’ critical thinking skills.
- What ethical considerations guide Bellarmine’s AI approach?
- Bellarmine emphasizes ethical AI use through structured, expert-led faculty training that emphasizes the importance of enhancing learning rather than enabling shortcuts. Responsible implementation prioritizes student autonomy, competence, and integrity and helps prepare them for a future where AI literacy is essential.
- What role does Flint AI play at Bellarmine?
- Flint AI provides a secure, education-focused platform for AI integration. It supports personalized learning through AI-generated assessments, feedback, and study tools while ensuring students’ data is kept secure in compliance with FERPA regulations.
- What is Bellarmine’s long-term vision for AI in its educational framework?
- Bellarmine aims to continually refine its AI guidelines and implementation to balance innovation with integrity. Future policies will continue to emphasize responsible AI use and continuous faculty training will equip teachers with the tools to foster student engagement, self-assessment and critical thinking.