Bishop Hendricken High School is proud to announce a groundbreaking program which gives children with special needs the “option” of benefiting from a Catholic Christian education. The Bishop Hendricken High School Options Program provides high school age young men an opportunity to take part in a modified inclusion program by providing challenging academics to help prepare them for the transition from high school toward a life of independent living. Bishop Hendricken High School is the fifth Catholic high school in the US with such a program and the first single-sex school of its kind.
Options students’ core classes are conducted in small groups using a variety of hands-on activities, cooperative learning and interactive technologies to meet each student’s needs. Option students are mainstreamed in physical education, health, and an elective course of their choice. During the elective class, each Option student has a Bishop Hendricken student mentor to assist him in that class. Lastly, it includes life-skills and vocational experiences through a careers class, field trips and work experiences.
This program builds upon the Bishop Hendricken mission statement, which seeks to strengthen the relationship of all the members of the community with God through the development of the total human person: heart, mind, soul and body. The Options Program supports the belief that students with special needs, like all students, deserve the opportunity to maximize their academic, social and spiritual potential in a Catholic Christian environment.
The Options Program began during the 2008-2009 school year and was partially funded by a generous donation from a Hendricken benefactor. The pilot program served two young men. One year later, six students benefit from this special program.
For additional information about this revolutionary program, please contact:
Jay Brennan, Principal at 739-3450 ext. 122 or jbrennan@hendricken.com
Ms. Cara Fusco, Options Director at 739-3450 or cfusco@hendricken.com