Research Program

Seeking Truth Through Research

On the Hill, we make research "easy."
When a school prioritizes inquiry-based learning in all fields, students develop tools for questioning, scrutinizing, accepting, and rejecting information of all kinds. Students who have the ability to seek truth through the study and examination of evidence become deeper thinkers and more fruitful contributors to our society. 

Flintridge Sacred Heart provides a four-year research curriculum that develops the explicit and implicit skills students need to complete college-level and scholarly research and inspires a lifelong search for truth.
 

List of 4 frequently asked questions.

  • Q: What is the Research Program?

    A: Flintridge Sacred Heart's four-year Research Program was created to give students experience writing the types of papers they will be asked to write as soon as they enter their freshman year of college. We heard loud and clear from college-level instructors and librarians that freshmen were entering college without the mindset and skills required to carry out research papers. This capstone program represents our commitment to preparing our young women for university-level course work.
     
    We start by cultivating curious minds. We encourage students to blend personal interests with academic ones as they explore the complex systems that make up our modern world.
     
    We also emphasize core research skills, so students receive instruction in all grades on navigating academic databases, how to use predictive search methods to locate research material and the use of multiple electronic source documentation tools. 

  • Q: What are some of the challenges students face during the Research Program?

    A: It’s hard for the students, particularly after selecting a general topic, to narrow it down to a workable, debatable thesis after a long period of research. It’s a little uncomfortable for them as we’re flipping the process a little bit. We require that they wait a long time before claiming a thesis. They want to do that right upfront, so they can find resources that match their thesis statement. We require that they spend 8-10 weeks doing a deeper reading of the research material and create their thesis from what they find.

    Our students are also in need of permission to take intellectual risks. It’s very scary for them to do that. They really want you to tell them the answer all the time. The Research Program gives them permission to take those risks; it actually requires them to do so.

  • Q: Why do you think it’s important that high school girls learn the proper methods and the ways to do research?

    A: There’s an expectation at the very early college level, the freshman course level, that they’ll be able to do a number of things independently. It’s our responsibility to prepare our students for that. We need to keep in mind exactly what a college will expect and know that professors do not deliver instructions on these skills. There’s not a lesson in place on how to use the database and how to use the library. It’s just an expectation.

    There’s enough happening in their freshman year of college that’s stressful and learning how to do all of this here prepares them for a situation in college where these girls can be the ones on their dorm floor who say to their friends, “Oh, I know how to do that. Don’t worry. I’ll show you how.”

  • Q: What are some of the skills the students learn during the Research Program?

    A: Through the research process, they learn how to properly identify information online and use it; they learn how to do smart searches; how to evaluate the credibility of a source; they’ll think about the information that they’re using and how they are using it. They also need to know how to document a source; when to know to abandon or discard it; when to know that an anticipated thesis statement is no longer valid—all of those things need to become more automatic for our students.

How can the Research Program inspire a career?

By Nicole Pang '18  


Who would’ve thought that both my research projects in high school would eventually lead me to create my own dual major and procure a fantastic job opportunity abroad?

Continue reading Nicole's experience with Flintridge Sacred Heart's Research Program on our blog.

Senior Research Projects

Research program students develop tools for questioning, scrutinizing, accepting, and rejecting information of all kinds. In the senior year, they create a capstone project that reflects all that they learned through the year-long process.

Architecture, a Healing Field: Aesthetically Pleasing Affordable Housing

After learning about the expensive real estate rate market in Los Angeles and appreciating the aesthetic aspects of architecture and urban planning, Alyssa explored how architecute can also play a social justice role in providing affordable housing to lower income residents. She built a 3D model demonstrating how affordable housing could be built that is aesthetically pleasing while also reflect responsible environmental planning. 

Perspectives Changed on Females and Embroidery

Amanda Chang '19 explored how women stopped learning embroidery skills as they entered the workforce in the 1940s. However, in the 1960s, women picked up their needles as a weapon against sexism and as a way to seek financial independence. For her project, Amanda created a flying Aparnas (a character painted on the mural of Mogan Cave that stands for the power of females in China) embroidery piece to show that females independent and have a powerful position in society.

WOMEN IN ORTHODOXY

Sophia Pappas '18, curious about why the Orthodox church was not open to female spiritual leaders, discovered in her research process that proof exists of women deacons in early church history. Wanting to bring awareness to this, Sophia designed a traditional deacon vestment with detailed robe and orarion, Every element in the vestment serves a specific purpose; the colors are traditional Orthodox vestment colors (deep red and gold) and the orarion has images of three significant women from the Orthodox church.

CRIMINALIZATION AND COPING

Elizabeth Patterson '18 researched how stereotypes placed on black women and girls lead to the criminalization and marginalization of black girls and women in school and the workforce. These stereotypes lead to the adultification of black girls and, in turn, to harsher punishments for black girls in schools (including suspension, expulsion, and school-related arrests) than their white counterparts. Her final project, a video presentation, includes interviews with black girls and women to connect the concept of adultification with actual faces and experiences to give viewers the opportunity to reflect on their own lives and actions.

WHAT'S YOUR HAIRSTORY?

After watching the Chris Rock documentary “Good Hair,” Nia Harris ’17 decided to investigate how the standard of beauty affects the culture of hair and self-esteem of African-American women. Nia interviewed African American women about their hair and their relationship to their hair. She complied the responses as podcasts on her website “What’s Your Hairstory?” She found that most of the women felt insecure about their hair at some point in their lives, though confidence grew as they aged. And those women with natural hair hoped they inspire other African-American women to love their hair, Nia included.

ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE

As a self-proclaimed musical theatre obsessive, Meredith Roberts ’17 headed to the bright lights of Broadway when it came time to pick an SRP topic. She examined nine musicals’ for their social and political themes, and researched how these musicals made an impact on their audiences. From the “King and I” and “Chorus Line” to “Hair” and “Rent,” Meredith found that musical theatre is revolutionary, and the themes and context often transcend time to affect audiences of all eras. You can learn more on her webpage.

FLINTRIDGE SACRED HEART

440 St. Katherine Drive
La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011
626-685-8300

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Flintridge Sacred Heart, a Catholic, Dominican, independent, college-preparatory, day and boarding high school, educates young women for a life of faith, integrity, and truth.

Flintridge Sacred Heart admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid, and athletic and other school-administered programs.