8th grade at St. Catherine is a year of exploration, critical thinking, inquiry, and creativity. The year begins with a three-day Leadership and team-building camp setting the stage for becoming the school's role models. Students are engaged in an in-depth analysis of the US Constitution, the Holocaust,  pre-civil war, slavery, and reconstruction. Students work collaboratively on project-based learning activities, feeding their curiosity and developing students' historical perspectives through discussion and questioning. The year of discovery is completed with a culminating self-reflection project shared with family and friends.