Page 10 - Carrollton 2015

Academics

Our work is to form piaster thinkers who will be confident, courageous, compassionate women.
Suzanne Cooke, RSCJ

Sister Cooke’s commitment to the education of girls and women of the: Sacred Heart is evident in
the rigorous academic curriculum she has established and supported at Carrollton, In Sister Cooke's
seventeen-year tenure, she has broadened existing, and implemented, new academic programs that
foster critical thinking skills: preparing students for spiritually fulfilling and productive lives.

The International Baccalaureate program, introduced to Carrollton by Sister Cooke in 2006,
provides students with the opportunity to study core subjects such as mathematics, literature and,
science, as well as humanities in, conjunction with an extensive arts program. The IB Program is
not only educationally enriching but also provides an advantage for college acceptance. It delivers
readiness In universities and advance standing. Its graduate school, Through the IB Program, students
graduate Carrollton knowing how to “not only.. write the paper, bu t,.. write the paper in any
discipline.”

Sister Cooke's development of the World Language program underscores her commitment
to. the Goal III criteria, "In our multicultural world, the school prepares and inspires students to
be active, informed, and responsible citizens locally; nationally, and globally." Carrollton s World
Language Department, which already included Spanish and French, expanded with: Sister Cook© s
implementation: of a Mandarin, program. Carrollton became the first school in Miarni-Dade County
to offer Mandarin to kindergarteners. "We recognize that mastering a second or third language gives
Carrollton graduates a competitive advantage in their future opportunities as citizens of the world .

The Debate Program has grown significantly under Sister Cooke's tenure. She shifted the program s

focus to policy debate: - considered the most rigorous of the high school debate styles: —helping it
transition from a local club activity to the premier©, nationally recognized policy debate program it is
today. Carrol lton’s debate program is widely considered one of the top five programs in the country.