St. Cecilia provides a variety of opportunities to further develop a child’s quest for academic school knowledge. In order to develop a person of academic competency, students are involved in community-sponsored field trips that enhance and extend the learning experience in the classroom. These field trips and experiences include:
| Special Olympics | J. Paul Getty Museum | Concert at the Orange County Performing Arts Center |
| Museum of Tolerance | Independence Hall | Peltzer Pumpkin Farm |
| Santa Ana Post Office | Bower’s Museum | Tustin Public Library |
| Orange County Marine Institute Crab Lab | San Luis Rey Mission | Tour of the Santa Ana Courthouse |
| Old Town Orange Circle | Walk-thru California | Walk-thru the American Revolution |
| Pali Mountain Trip
(8 th grade) |
Whale Watching | Junior Firefighters |
St. Cecilia also participates in the “Inside the Outdoors” Program, which consists of trips to Casper’s Park, Newport Back Bay, Dana Point, Outdoor Education in the San Bernardino Mountains, and in-school experiences with Birds of Prey, the Rainforest, and the Traveling Naturalist.
Curriculum K-8 includes Religion, Language Arts, Mathematics (Algebra in grades 7 and 8), Social Studies, Science, Physical Education, Spanish, Technology, and Art.
For those students who have a desire to excel beyond the regular class schedule, St. Cecilia provides several extra-curricular academic programs. These programs give a student the opportunity for leadership, responsibility and Christian service.
- Serra Club and Knights of Columbus Essay Contests
- Annual Holocaust Art and Writing Contest
- Imagination Celebration and Laguna Beach Junior Festival of the Arts
- Academic Decathlon
- Field Day
- National Geography Bee
- Edison Challenge
- National Junior Honor Society (NJHS)
- Orange County Diocesan Academic Decathlon
- Orange County Reading Association Student Author Contest
- Orange County Public Library Annual Teen Poetry and Art Contest
Each month students are recognized at a student assembly for their personal achievements. These recognitions celebrate each individual and respect the diversity of gifts and of learning modalities. Parents attend the assemblies and take pictures. These assemblies celebrate the development of the whole child – their self-confidence, self-respect and sense of identity. Special effort is made to recognize each student at least once throughout the year.
