STEM

Applied Math, Science & Engineering (AMSE)

At St. Francis Catholic High School, STEM education is more than coursework, it’s a hands-on, confidence-building journey designed to empower young women to explore, lead, and innovate. Through our Applied Math, Science & Engineering (AMSE) programs, students gain real-world experience in engineering, robotics, research, and problem-solving while discovering how their gifts can serve the world.

Rooted in faith and driven by curiosity, AMSE at St. Francis gives students the opportunity to learn by doing, collaborate with peers and mentors, and see themselves as capable leaders in traditionally underrepresented STEM fields.

Signature AMSE Programs

MATE Robotics

St. Francis offers a robust robotics pathway through the internationally recognized MATE Robotics program, giving students exposure to real engineering challenges and teamwork at multiple levels.

Explorer MATE Robotics (Collegiate Level)
Advanced students collaborate on complex engineering problems aligned with collegiate-level expectations, preparing them for STEM majors and competitive careers.
Navigator MATE Robotics (First-Year High School Program)
An entry point for students new to robotics, focusing on foundational engineering concepts, coding, design, and collaboration

Recent Accomplishments

St. Francis MATE Robotics team with their robot

In a landmark season, every student on both teams was in their first year of robotics — and this was our first year running a Scout team. After a full season of learning from scratch, building, rebuilding, and figuring it out together, they delivered extraordinary results:

Scouts – 1st Place Overall
Scouts – 1st Place, Marketing
Navigators – 1st Place Overall
Navigators – 2nd Place, Marketing

St. Francis Robotics is now 9 for 9 first-place finishes across three divisions and 6 years.

St. Francis Navigator Robotics team group photo

Navigator Team — Championship Moment: Facing a major last-minute float issue and a disappointing first run, the Navigators could have fallen apart. Instead, they regrouped, stayed composed, trusted each other, and delivered an outstanding second run that took the top prize.

Scout Team — Setting the Standard: Seven girls from across the Sacramento Valley, meeting each other for the first time in December at the St. Francis STEM Zone. They won the overall competition and took 1st in Marketing — strong robots, strong communication, complete teams.

St. Francis Robotics team celebrating their win

Note: There is no World Championship at the Scout or Navigator level. These teams have won everything there is to win. The Explorer team is now preparing for the World Championships.

Science Olympiad

ISSP (International Space Station Program)

The International Space Station Program (ISSP) offers students a rare opportunity to design, build, and code a real scientific experiment that is launched to the International Space Station and tested in microgravity. Working as an aerospace project team, students meet NASA specifications and timelines, then analyze data returned by astronauts over several months to draw conclusions and contribute to scientific research, with opportunities for publication.

Only ten high schools nationwide participate in ISSP each year, and St. Francis is proud to be one of them. Guided by program mentor Ms. Nicole Weston, up to ten students in grades 9–12 will gain hands-on experience in advanced STEM fields, with the exciting possibility of attending the rocket launch.

Community & Leadership in STEM

Echelon Catapult

Growing the Future of Girls in STEM

St. Francis continues to look forward, exploring new opportunities to expand STEM access and innovation, including:

RoboQuest (coming soon)
Emerging above-ground robotics initiatives
Expanded competitive and research-based STEM experiences

These forward-looking programs reflect our commitment to evolving alongside the interests and talents of our students while maintaining academic excellence and mission alignment.

What the Research Says: All-Girls STEM Programs Work

A landmark study published in Science Education (Chen et al., 2026) analyzed survey data from nearly 15,000 U.S. undergraduates and found striking evidence that all-girls STEM programs make a measurable difference. Key findings include:

Girls who attended single-sex STEM programs in high school were nearly six times more likely to intend a STEM career than girls who attended no programs — one of the largest effects ever documented in STEM intervention research.
Single-sex STEM programs closed — and in some cases reversed — the gender gap in STEM identity, with girls in all-girls programs outscoring boys across all program types.
These benefits held up even after rigorous statistical controls for prior interest, family background, and self-selection, strengthening the case that the programs themselves are driving the gains.
Coeducational STEM programs boosted girls' interest and identity but did not increase their STEM career intentions — suggesting that single-sex programs within coed schools fall short of what an all-girls environment can provide.

This research affirms what St. Francis has long believed: the all-girls environment is not just different — it is more effective. When girls learn and explore STEM surrounded by peers and role models who look like them, they develop a stronger sense of identity and a clearer vision of their future in STEM.

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