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Hub of Academic Excellence

At Fairfield College Preparatory School, we believe in educating the whole person.

As a college preparatory school, our teachers and faculty seeks to transform young boys into men of intellectual competence. That means challenging them with a rigorous, hands-on education where our students learn both inside and outside of the classroom.

Boys read and write; calculate and draw; form opinions and then defend them. They're taught by faculty who love what they do and have chosen to do it in our all-boys Catholic high school.

Student at Computer

 

Academic Rigor 

Rigor is a process in which students are dynamically and collaboratively engaged in purposeful content that promotes depth of thought and leads the student to original ideas rooted in prior knowledge as well as new evidence. Rigor is hard work, not busy work, that causes a student to wrestle with challenging content and concepts that may cause a productive discomfort, but ultimately pushes students to critically examine the material and make connections to other learning.

In order to help students participate in a rigorous and reflective curriculum, teachers must challenge students where they are and not where they think they should be, teach necessary skills, scaffold all material, provide adequate supports, and above all create a relationship with a student where he is encouraged and inspired to learn at greater levels. 

1:1 iPad Program

iPad

 

Fairfield Prep believes in preparing our students for a digitally-focused 21st Century. That means allowing them to develop technological skills to help them succeed both at Prep and in their lives beyond Prep.

In 2014, Prep launched a 1:1 iPad program that combined our classic, Jesuit education with the most up-to-date and advanced learning tools available. Today, our students utilize an array of software and online databases integrated with the iPad in every aspect of their Prep education — from learning in the classroom to reading texts to note-taking. 

Students receive their homework assignments and class notes from teachers in Schoology, annotate readings and submit assignments in Notability, and check their grades in NetClassroom. They purchase and access their textbooks digitally through iBooks, Amazon and other eText readers.

 

Academic Programming

Fairfield Prep Entrepreneurship Institute

Today’s educational landscape is constantly evolving in response to the needs of our world.

More and more, higher education is collaborating with corporations to enhance student learning and readiness to enter an increasingly complex economy. Entrepreneurship programs have been a key driver in this field. It is in this vein that we created the Fairfield Prep Entrepreneurship Institute.

The Fairfield Prep Entrepreneurship Institute is unique because it weaves together entrepreneurship learning with Jesuit tradition.

The program will consist of entrepreneurial studies combined with off campus learning at manufacturing plants, venture capital firms, intellectual property law firms, and many other supporting industries. Within the program, students will be able to bring their innovative business plans to life with the support of faculty and mentoring from successful alumni.

 

Barrett Science Center

The Barrett Science Center on the fourth floor of Xavier Hall at Fairfield Prep opened in September of 2020. 

Thanks to a generous $2.5 million gift from Dr. M. James '60 and April P. Barrett, Prep renovated their science floor to create the Dr. M. James '60 and April P. Barrett Science Center.

The Barrett Science Center is a modern space that includes state-of-the-art science suites combining classroom teaching with laboratory experiments in the subjects of biology and chemistry.

The new space allows for greater hands-on experiences and opportunities for our students. Learning will extend beyond the classroom, as the corridors will be active places with common/breakout areas for collaboration.

American Studies Program

American Studies is an interdisciplinary program consisting of paired American History and American Literature classes. 

In this course, students examine the nation’s history and culture through literature, primary and secondary historical documents, art, music, and politics. 

Starting with the pre-Columbian era and ending in the 20th century, students work chronologically and thematically through American fiction and non-fiction texts in an effort to understand the evolution of the United States as a nation, as well as the evolution of the American character and literary tradition. 

The course prepares students to read and write about a wide range of texts over the span of several centuries -- texts like Puritan sermons and poetry, captivity narratives, the Declaration of Independence, the essays of Thoreau and Emerson, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Great Gatsby, famous speeches, and 20th century plays. 

In addition to their work for each class, students complete at least one interdisciplinary project each quarter that synthesizes the ideas of literary and historical texts, important historical events, and the music and/or art of a given era. 

The course places great emphasis on the development of critical thinking skills, especially the ability for students to recognize and grapple with enduring values, conflicts, and tensions in American life, and to develop their own essential questions about them. 

Student-generated essential questions serve as the starting point for their formal and informal writing, including their quarterly interdisciplinary projects. 

Another central component of the course is its commitment to guiding students through the writing process, which includes the creation of questions and topics, drafting, conferencing and revision.

 

Technology in the Classroom

3D Printing

In all of our academic disciplines, technology is used as a way to enhance the learning experience. We do this by creating a hands-on and student-centered environment where students take ownership of their learning. 

In Foreign Language classes, Prep students utilize a computer-based listening and speaking software, enhancing their retention of grammar and vocabulary. In Biology, students link their iPads with Bluetooth-equipped microscopes allowing them to display on the screen what they’re viewing on the slide. 

In English courses, students compose video essays as a way to express themselves. 

In Math, students use a variety of programs and apps to investigate and discover theorems and mathematical rules on their own. 

In Social Studies, students use the fact that they have access to each of the hundreds of online databases that Fairfield University subscribes to to research historical topics.

Technology is also used in our extracurricular programs – our Robotics Team uses their iPads to help them program as they prepare and participate in regional competitions.

 

Arrupe Virtual Learning Institute

Fairfield Prep offers students the opportunity to take courses online through the Arrupe Virtual Learning Institute (AVLI). Prep’s partnership with AVLI expands academic opportunities for Prep students by allowing them to enroll in a number of exciting courses. Nine of these courses offered to Prep students are AP courses, and students successfully completing selected courses are eligible to earn three college credits per class through Creighton University. 

AVLI courses are taught by passionate faculty members from Jesuit schools across the United States, just like our teachers here at Prep, who are both certified in the subject matter and have gone through extensive training to teach online. Students will complete assignments based on a schedule set by their teacher, listen to lectures, participate in discussions, complete assessments and learn how to succeed in an online learning environment, preparing them for future online learning opportunities in the future.

To help them succeed, Fairfield Prep offers a dedicated time, space, and on-campus resource person to assist these students in their classes.