Chaminade College Preparatory School
Promoted by Chaminade College Preparatory School

Chaminade College Preparatory School: Preparing boys for success

At Chaminade College Preparatory School, Paul Oh is preparing for his future in the best ways possible. He’s picking out the colleges he would like to go to, a process guided by counselling sessions, meetings and presentations. He founded a book club with his freshmen English teacher. He’s enjoying his most challenging class. “Although I am not good in chemistry, I still have a lot of fun in class and the materials we learn are one of the most interesting things I’ve learned throughout my school years,” he says.

Like all Chaminade boys, Oh is developing the inherent spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and physical potential of young men. They are set for success in college and life, ultimately becoming the men the world needs them to be. Chaminade boasts a 100% university acceptance rate and nearly 100 years of experience in helping international students thrive.

Such achievements come from the school’s dedicated support every step of the way. Teachers and staff are always available to help. “Even when I was back in Korea and was taking online classes during COVID-19 lockdowns, we would have Zoom meetings often and that really gave me the motivation finish the semester strong,” shares Oh.

Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this independent Catholic school for young men in Grades 6 to 12 provides a modern, academically challenging curriculum using personalised instruction. At its safe, suburban campus – close to the city centre and airport, with many amenities available – classes are small and the care by talented teachers runs deep.

Here, teachers focus on how boys learn best. They understand that learning has to be active, interactive and experiential. They use diverse learning styles, tailored to each young man.

“Some of my favourite classes are math, theology, art, and weight training because in all of them we learn something, and we can have fun at the same time,” shares student Alvaro Garza Villarreal. “Our teachers are great at teaching in the ways we learn best and make classes fun and interesting.”

At Chaminade, students get to take part in debates, work in labs, and have deeper academic engagement. They focus on executive function skills – how to learn, how to prepare, how to organise – skills that pay dividends throughout life.

Enqi Zhu (Allen) loves his English and History classes. “My English teacher and I get along very well. Although he is very strict, he does it for the good of students,” he says. “History has been my favourite subject ever since I started school. I like listening to historical stories very much and it also triggers my critical thinking. Our teacher is a great storyteller.”

Chaminade College Preparatory School

Chaminade students prepare for college and for life. Source: Chaminade College Preparatory School

Within and beyond the classroom, all aspects of school life gear students for university. In middle school, students start honing pre-Advanced Placement (AP) skills such as critical thinking and reasoning.

Through the PACE Programme, high school students can access 28 AP classes and 120 Dual University Credit courses. They can experience an introduction to college-level expectations while in high school, taught by authorised Chaminade Adjunct University Instructors for partner universities.

“I want to major in computer programming and become a software engineer,” shares student Yoshitaka Suzuki. “Chaminade has provided two AP Computer Science courses and has many teachers with great expertise in this area.”

Chaminade College Preparatory School

Chaminade learners commonly pair the PACE Programme with participation in varsity sports, student clubs and more. Source: Chaminade College Preparatory School

On average, a Chaminade graduate has completed over 40 university credits before stepping foot at university. Not only are they ready for the rigours of university coursework, but they’re also saving time and money too, according to alumni surveys from the Classes of 2017 to 2019.

“I would recommend taking PACE classes for all the reasons why it financially makes sense in the long run; so those college courses are paid for and cheaper, in the high school setting,” says graduate Vincent Laury. “I would go a step further and say that the main draw, for me, was that these PACE classes were engaging, and the teachers, for the most part, created a positively impactful environment. A combination of challenging yet enjoyable classes, and the teacher’s dedication to the student, convinced me that PACE classes are recommended.”

By earning college credit while in high school, PACE graduates can opt for early entry into an undergraduate degree programme and complete it before the traditional four years. They have the opportunity to earn a master’s degree, double major or pursue a gap year and graduate within the traditional four years as well.

“Chaminade made my collegiate and professional goals possible in my expedited time frame. Of my 61 Chaminade college credits that Mizzou accepted, 26 credits applied directly to my civil engineering degree programme,” says Nick Mollett, who matriculated to the University of Missouri.

“Those credit hours will allow me to complete my Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering, a Master of Business Administration (MBA), and a minor in Construction Management (while still taking a semester off to complete a Co-Op work/study opportunity with ARCO Construction) in 4.5 years.”

To apply to Chaminade College Preparatory School, click here. To arrange a visit, click here.

Follow Chaminade College Preparatory School on Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo and Instagram