A Popular Author Reinforces Denise Pope and Helps Us Rethink Our Beliefs About Education

by Kirsten Brockschmidt, AP of Academics

This school year, we have talked about Denise Pope's message to rethink our approach to "doing school."  In a recent book, staff writer for The New Yorker and five time The New York Times bestselling author, Malcolm Gladwell, offers evidence that reinforces Ms. Pope's suggestion.  In David and Goliath, Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, Gladwell offers the opportunity for a reexamination of some long held beliefs about education.  In this, and the next two newsletters, we will examine some cherished beliefs.

Belief 1--Going to the best university you can get into offers the best chance at success.

This seems like such a given, it is almost difficult to even consider the possibility that it is not true.  However, Gladwell tells a story and provides some interesting statistics which he believes challenges this belief.  The story involves a woman who had been a perfect student while in high school.  Always at the top of her class, she never received anything less than an A and had the highest scores possible on all of her AP exams.  She also had a lifelong passion for science.  During her senior year, all she hoped for was admission to her first choice of Ivy League school.  She got it.  

She also got a surprise when she found a new level of competition, for her abilities, that had never existed before.  She had always been the best.  This new, especially elite, academic group that was her new basis for comparison was too much to handle.  She no longer measured up in her own mind.  She changed majors, dropping out of science.  

Gladwell found that statistics reveal an alarming frequency to this transition among students attempting to study science, and certain other majors, at the best universities.  Specifically, Gladwell quotes a study done by the University of California that concluded "the likelihood of someone completing a STEM* degree--all things being equal--rises by 2 percentage points for every 10-point decrease in the university's average SAT score."  Gladwell reasons, "the smarter your peers, the dumber you feel; the dumber you feel, the more likely you are to drop out of science."  

Denise Pope told our students to be careful about looking for the "best" university.  Instead, she urged us to look for the "best fit" university.  Sometimes there is a difference.

*STEM refers to Science Technology Engineering and Math

Key Calendar Dates for 2014 Academic Year

February 2014

13 SFPA General Meeting - Integrating Don Bosco into Your Parenting

14  Student Holiday/Faculty-Staff Inservice

17  Holiday/President's Day

18-25Course Catalog Review - notification of online Course Selection

March 2014

1 Vita!

5  Ash Wednesday - all invited to attend

8  Class of 2018 Acceptance notification along with tuition assistance and scholarships

14 Bishop's Holiday

27  Battle for the Paddle

28  Student Holiday/Faculty-Staff Inservice

April 2014

4 Holiday/Festival Prep

5  St. Francis Spring Festival

18-27 Holiday/Easter Break

28  Classes resume

May 2014

2-3 Spring Musical - The Robber Bride

10  Spring Choir Fundraiser - Concert on the Green

24  Junior-Senior Prom

26  Holiday/Memorial Day

27-29 Final Exams

29 Knights of Columbus Dinner for the Class of 2014

30  Baccalaureate Mass

31  Graduation

July 2014

7-18 Incoming 9th Summer School - Morning Bridge Program and Afternoon Sports Camps

Admissions

St. Francis is now accepting applications for 2014-15 entering Freshman Class as well as transfer students.   If you wish to begin the application process, please complete an online application here.

After submitting an online application, please send us the following to complete your file:

• $75 application fee (check payable to SFHS, please mail to Admissions Office)

• Confidential Recommendation form (Please request from Admissions Office)

• Make an appointment to take the HSPT

• Request a Financial Aid packet or complete online here.

Receipt of your $75 application fee automatically reserves your student a seat for the HSPT. (Contact Admissions Office to schedule)

Once your application is complete and we have received the results of the HSPT Exam, we will contact you to schedule an interview.  Acceptance letters will be mailed out in mid March 2014.

Financial Savings

St. Francis High School is offering a Student Referral Discount of $150.00 for referring an incoming (non-sibling) 9th grade/transfer student. This is a one-time credit to your tuition account balance and is subject to administrative review/approval.

There is also a Multiple Student Discount of $500.00 to families with more than one concurrently attending student. This one-time credit will be applied on the October payment (Or at the start if you pay in full up front) and evenly distributed across the remaining tuition payments, one credit per family.