The curriculum at Gibault contains courses ranging from remedial education
to college courses for college credit. The current listing and description of courses is
found in the Curriculum Guide, given to each family at pre-registration. It also is
available upon request at Gibault. The Guidance Department, faculty advisors and course
instructors provide students with counseling for selection of courses.
Courses chosen from the curriculum must total at least 6.50 credits per year.
This minimum course load must be maintained throughout the course of the year. A maximum
load of 7.5 credits can be exceeded only with special permission of the guidance office
and parental approval.
Driver education is taught at Gibault by Waterloo High School instructors
and may be taken by any student who qualifies by age, regardless of residence.
Beginning with the class of 1995, some classes are weighed more heavily in
determining the grade point average and class rank. These courses are listed in the
Curriculum Guide.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Graduates of Gibault must fulfill all requirements for graduation
established by Gibault Catholic High School. No special diplomas will be issued which
will certify that a graduate has met only the minimum requirements established by the
State of Illinois.
The total number of credits required for graduation is 24.
A Junior entering Gibault for the first time must have:
21 credits for
graduation/ if previous school was public
24 credits/ if previous school was Catholic
A new student accepted at Gibault as a Senior must have:
21 credits for
graduation/ if previous school was public
24 credits/ if previous school was Catholic
In applying this exception to Gibault's requirements of 24 credits for
graduation, the key criterion is whether or not the student obtained credit
in religion during the previous year(s) of attendance.
These 24 credits must include:
Religion-4 credits, including Christian Marriage
English--4 credits, including Composition
Mathematics-2 credits
Science-2 credits including Biology
Social Studies--3 credits including: option 1: American History,
Modem American History, and Honors World History
option 2: Geography 1/2, American History, Modern American History
Fine Arts-1 credit/ Music, Art)
Foreign Language-2 credits (with administration
approval, this requirement may be altered to include additional
English course work and elective courses)
Business-0.50 credit
Physical Education/Health--1 credit
Practical Art-l/2 credit (Public Speaking)
Senior Project
All students must earn the equivalent of one full credit each year in
courses from the Religion department for each year they are in attendance at Gibault. The
total number of religion credits required for graduation by transfer students must equal
one half credit for each semester a student has attended Gibault.
All students must, as part of graduation requirements, participate in the
class retreat program each year. if, for serious reasons, a student is unable to fulfill
this requirement in any given year, the retreat coordinator and the principal shall decide
upon a substitute retreat experience to fulfill this requirement.
Seniors are required to take at least one credit in English.
All students must pass Federal and Illinois Constitution tests.
No more than 8 performing credits may be included in the total credits
required for graduation.
All graduation requirements will be completed before a Diploma is awarded
to the student. A student may be able to participate in the Graduation Commencement if
they are 1/2 credit short or less of their required credit total. If a student is more
then the 1/2 credit short, they will not participate in the Graduation Commencement. The
student is then responsible for the completion of the course work from an approved
accredited school or agency in order to receive a diploma from Gibault Catholic High
School.
Students will be able to repeat a course at Gibault Catholic High School
one time only. A $55.00 fee (per semester) will be charged to all students who repeat a course. If a
student fails a class at Gibault, that student may earn credits outside of the Gibault
High School Curriculum to meet graduation requirements. No more than 2 credits may be
earned in this manner. A total of 1/2 credit in any one-core subject is the maximum a
student may earn. The institution where the work is to be completed must be North Central
Certified and the coursework be approved in advance by the Gibault Guidance Counselor and
the Department Chair. The student must first repeat the course at Gibault.
SCHEDULING - FLEXIBLE
A basic change in traditional scheduling was initiated at Gibault's
inception. Classes at Gibault are scheduled according to a six-day cycle, not according to
the five days of the school week A cycle prevents a day in the schedule from dropping out.
This is important if classes do not meet every day. At Gibault, only a few classes meet
every day, Most classes meet either five out of six times a cycle or three out of six.
Primarily the department heads and administration make these decisions.
Each student receives a copy of a printed schedule of classes. Part of the
student initiation process is the explanation of the schedule. Since each day of the
schedule may be different from others, most students need to refer to the schedule
throughout the year.
A flexible schedule such as Gibault offers can be a successful educational
design only if the students possess or develop sufficient self discipline and concern for
everyone at Gibault. Gibault represents a family community dedicated to the process of
learning. Students can be assured of the commitment of every teacher to help them succeed
in this system.