Bishop Hendricken has opened a new chapter in the school’s illustrious 56 year history, welcoming a group of 22 boys to the SELECT Honors Institute for the first time. A special Welcome Mass, Dedication, and Ribbon-cutting Ceremony took place on Friday, September 4, 2015 for the SELECT students and their families.
The SELECT Honors Institute is an innovative, five-year program for academically high-achieving boys entering the eighth grade. The Institute will set new standards for Catholic 8th grade curricula in the region, with a rigorous academic track and opportunities in later grades for university-caliber coursework in subjects ranging from engineering to philosophy.
“We’re very excited about it because it means a whole new group of students will have the opportunity to receive a Hendricken education,” said Principal Jay Brennan Jr. ’72. President John Jackson, ’71, agrees. He announced the creation of the program last September, noting that there is a growing need for Catholic education at the middle school level to challenge the area’s most academically talented young men. Jackson notes, “We often talk about the Hendricken experience, so these young men will be able to start a year earlier and benefit from all the school has to offer.
The SELECT Institute will feature a forum to span grades eight and nine, which will use experiential learning and trips to museums, performances and cultural events to educates tudents about local and regional society. It will further feature seminar-style courses with a humanities approach in American and European Studies that will blend themes from English, History, and theology in grades ten through twelve, and an advanced math and science sequence through all five years, as well as intramural sports and teams through the CAL league.
Families who wish to learn more are encouraged to attend a Hendricken Open House, where there is a special presentation about the SELECT Honors Institute and a description of the admissions criteria.
For more information about the SELECT Honors Institute please call Mrs. Cathy Solomon, VP for Advancement, at (401)739-3450, ext. 163.