Academic Teams

The “Aca Deca” experience offers students the opportunity to gain a broad understanding of a new topic each year, e.g. the French Revolution or the Great Depression. The team competes against other local high schools across a variety of areas (Economics, Art, Music, Language and Literature, Mathematics, Science, and Social Science) in an annual competition including subject tests, speeches, essay, and the Super Quiz. Students from all GPA ranges needed! Interested students should contact coaches in April or May, as some meetings are held over the summer.
 

Veniemus, Videbimus, Vincemus!
The Certamen (ker-ta-men) team prepares students for competition at Junior Classical League events. Students learn all aspects of classical society, history and mythology, and test their knowledge against high school teams from across the state.  Events include: academic tests (e.g. history, mythology, grammar, vocabulary, Roman daily life); speech events; catapult and chariot; essay and story writing. The premier event is the Certamen, a team quiz contest.
 

The International Space Station Program (ISSP) at St. Francis Catholic High School is a one-of-a-kind STEM opportunity that gives students hands-on experience in real aerospace research and engineering. As part of a small group of only ten high schools nationwide selected each year, participants work as a project team to research, design, code, and test an original experiment that meets NASA specifications and is launched to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX or Northrop Grumman rocket. Students receive real data from astronauts in microgravity, analyze results when the experiment returns to Earth, and may even publish their findings, all while building advanced skills in science, math, and engineering. Guided by experienced mentors and rooted in St. Francis’s strong tradition of robotics and STEM excellence, this selective program offers young women an extraordinary chance to contribute to real scientific discovery and experience the excitement of space research firsthand.

Mathletes meets weekly to practice problem solving techniques and general math principles. The team puts this practice to use at monthly competitions against other Sacramento area high school teams, including Jesuit, Christian Brothers, and Mira Loma.  Competitions include problems from a variety of math levels.  No prior experience necessary!
 

Coached by faculty and parent attorney mentors, Mock Trial students prepare to prosecute and defend a single case, serving as pretrial counsel, trial attorneys, witnesses, defendant, court clerk,  and bailiff.  Students compete against area teams in six rounds of simulated trial at the Gordon D. Schaber courthouse. 
 

The St. Francis High School Model United Nations (MUN) academic team simulates the crucial business of the United Nations assembly.  Students role-play UN delegates representing an assigned country in competitive conferences hosted by universities. SFHS students serving on various committees (World Trade Organization, Security Council, UNESCO, etc.) engage in pre-conference research on assigned topics, their country’s position, and their country’s economics, politics, culture, and laws.  This work culminates in weekend-long diplomatic simulations scored by the college students who chair each committee.  SFHS attends two conferences per school year. 
 

As members of SFHS’ MATE (Marine Advanced Technology  Education) Robotics, one of a few all-girls teams in the United States, specialize in project engineering, program management, electronics, computer programming, CAD, and web design. As participants in MATE's Ranger Class, students respond to real-world challenges, work collaboratively as a team, master time management, and strengthen communication skills.

The Science Olympiad team competes in a series of team events that encourage learning in biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, problem solving and technology.  While some events require knowledge of scientific facts and concepts, others rely on science processes, skills or applications. All events involve teamwork and collaboration.

In the high school division, teams have a maximum of 15 students and may have additional members who participate in all practices and serve as back-ups as needed at the annual competition. Most of the time, we create a second team for these additional members so that all can compete. Applicants should demonstrate high achievement in the sciences, the ability to work well with others in team effort, and must be able to attend weekly practices and all events.  Priority will be given to last year’s members in good standing.  The competition is in early March.

The Speech team provides opportunities for students to develop public speaking abilities while furthering their critical thinking and analytical skills.  Students choose the form of speech that best suits them, including original pieces, interpreted published scripts or speeches, duo performances, humorous interpretation, and extemporaneous speeches on world or international events, impromptu speeches.  Students who want to improve presentation skills, enjoy drama/theater and want to work together in a collaborative and supportive team  are encouraged to audition! Our team participates in 4 tournaments per season, mostly on Saturdays. 
 

Participants develop academic and professional skills and knowledge beyond the classroom. They practice team building and cooperative planning, build friendships and camaraderie with classmates, and interact with motivated and positive students from other schools.  Full commitment over a period of two to four years also adds to a student’s resume for college, and many teams exist in some form at the university level, often with scholarships. Finally, academic teams provide opportunities for new experiences and fun activities!
 

We invite new freshmen and new and returning students to join any of the Academic Teams, typically at the beginning of the school year. No background or previous experience is required, however applications and auditions and/or interviews are held for many teams.

Contact either the coach directly or Mrs. Cassy McGreevy, Director of Student Activities.

Students must have a 2.0 GPA, no F, and no more than 1 D on the previous semester’s transcript.

Team membership commits the student to attending and participating in the meetings, practices and competitions just as an athletic team member would attend her sports practices and games.  If the student has an excused absence from school on the day of a practice, that absence will be excused; however, the coach may need to drop that student if her absences are hindering the progress of the team or it becomes too difficult to catch up.

The athletic, fine arts, and academic team directors work together to resolve scheduling conflicts as much as possible in the best interest of the student and the team. However, it is the responsibility of the student and her parents to carefully evaluate her availability for tournaments, competitions, and performances to assure that overlap is avoided or is cleared by the coach/director well in advance.

Students receive 1 academic credit per semester for each semester that they participate in an academic team. Letter grades will be based on regular attendance at team practices, and preparation for and participation in practices and competitions, per the team syllabus. Grades appear on the transcript and count towards unit requirements, but not towards students’ semester or cumulative GPAs. For the purpose of college applications, we currently recommend that academic teams be listed as extra-curriculars.

The school provides entry fees for local, regional and state competitions (and national when possible). Out-of-town competitions, expenses for travel, lodging, and meals are the primary responsibility of the student and her parents. Most teams will purchase a T-shirt, sweatshirt or jacket, also a student expense.

Teams typically hold one or two weekly practices and additional practices, including weekends, prior to events. Each team coach will issue a calendar at the beginning of the season. This is similar to an athletic team.