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Mathematics

The Mathematics Department provides a multi-level college preparatory curriculum that stresses logical reasoning, problem solving and applications to real-world situations. Integration between our math and science courses played a key factor in the development of the curricula of each of these departments. Preparation for the math portions of the college entrance exams is incorporated in a grade-appropriate level throughout the curriculum.

Mathematics Department Mission Statement:
"Man always travels along precipices... His truest obligation is to keep his balance."
– Pope Saint John Paul II

The mission of the Mathematics Department at Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School is to work within a Dominican spirituality (which centers on the four pillars of Christian life  -- prayer, study, community and service) to lead students to discover and appreciate the beauty and the order of the universe and of the many fields of mathematics. Through the study of mathematics, students discover patterns in numbers and the world around them, develop a general set of principles for reasoning about those patterns, and apply those principles in problem-solving.  Special attention is paid to applying mathematics to real-life situations. We hope to aid students to develop a life-long love of learning and to provide them with the skills necessary for success in their further studies, in their chosen careers, and in their everyday lives.

Graduation Requirements for Mathematics:

3 credits are required at the high school level. As with all Diocesan Catholic High Schools, courses completed in middle school do not transfer as high school credits. However, if an incoming freshman passes our exemption exams (Algebra and/or Geometry), demonstrating mastery, the student may take the next-higher course. Otherwise, all freshmen begin with Algebra I. The exemption exams are offered at John Paul the Great, usually during the first week of June.

Required Courses:

  • Algebra I
  • Geometry
  • Algebra II

 

Elective Courses:

  • Algebra III
  • Introduction to Statistics with Applications
  • Pre-Calculus, Advanced
  • Pre-Calculus/Math Analysis, Honors
  • Calculus, Honors
  • AP Statistics
  • AP Calculus AB
  • AP Calculus BC
  • DE Multivariable Calculus