Scholars Programs
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Sancta Crux, Gillespie STEM, and Madeleva Scholars
Girls in the Sancta Crux, Gillespie STEM, and Madeleva Scholars programs don’t just benefit from rigorous academics. They discuss global issues with their faculty mentor. They write research papers on topics they truly love. They play piano at a nursing home. They embrace public speaking. Through the Sancta Crux, Madeleva and Gillespie STEM Scholars programs, Holy Cross girls fulfill the mission of becoming women of courage, compassion, and scholarship.
Sancta Crux Scholars
For incoming freshmen who have demonstrated excellent academic achievement, the Sancta Crux Scholars Program provides each girl with a faculty mentor for their four years at Holy Cross. In their mentors, our girls have role models who really get to know them as students, athletes, artists, and individuals. Sancta Crux Scholars benefit from their faculty mentors writing college recommendation letters, which highlight each girl’s unique strengths in the classroom, but also her qualities as a person. The Sancta Crux program offers quarterly field trips to organizations in the fields of science, medicine, engineering, journalism, and the arts. Sancta Crux Scholars also take advantage of early college counseling, PSAT testing, and college visits. Incoming freshmen are invited to become Sancta Crux Scholars based on test scores, grades, and recommendations.
A select group of Sancta Crux scholars, who have demonstrated an aptitude for science and math, and a sincere interest in STEM are identified for the Gillespie STEM Scholars. Gillespie STEM scholars must take one of the Project Lead the Way engineering courses by the end of sophomore year.
Madeleva Scholars
Students choose to enter the Madeleva Scholars Program during the spring semester of their freshman year. As a self-guided program, students make the most of being a Madeleva Scholar. They take at least one honors-level course per year and complete challenging summer enrichment study, fueling their academic curiosity. They help those in need by fulfilling an annual service requirement in addition to the Academy’s general requirement. As women of action, they seek leadership positions and extracurricular involvement, providing examples for other Tartans. The program culminates in a research project in which each girl works one-on-one with their faculty mentor to complete a paper on a subject that she finds interesting. Such a degree of individual attention is invaluable for Holy Cross girls and is not often seen until the college or graduate level.