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Bishop Byrne Today
 Providing an educational program grounded in the Dominican
tradition, Bishop Byrne serves students in grades 7 through
12. The program emphasizes our strong faith tradition,
technology and college readiness.
The Spiritual Dimension
Consistent with the mission of St. Dominic, we are called by
our model, word and deed to preach the word of God. In
addition to daily religious instruction that includes, but
is not limited to, the study of Church doctrine and
traditions, the study of the liturgy, sacraments, sacred
scripture, morality, and social teachings, our students live
out their faith through their involvement in activities in
their local communities, parishes and churches, individual
and group service initiatives, daily prayer, and the
availability of the Eucharist on each school day.
Faculty, staff members, and students at each grade level
participate in annual spiritual retreats. These are planned
to provide opportunities for members of the school community
to reflect on their place in the cosmos and Gods plan for
each of them.
 Enrollment
The 2010-2011 school year has an enrollment of 200 students.
This level of enrollment allows for personalized attention
for each student and provides an average student-teacher
ratio of 12:1.
Students come to Bishop Byrne from throughout the Memphis
area and from as far away as Holly Springs, Mississippi and
eastern Arkansas. We are the school of choice of the
Whitehaven Economic Development Association and the only
Catholic middle and high school south of the downtown
Memphis area. Students seek admission to Bishop Byrne from
a variety of elementary and middle schools, including local
Jubilee schools, Catholic parish schools, and a number of
public and charter schools.
Students at Bishop Byrne feel safe in an environment of rich
cultural diversity, where they support and encourage each
other while building important relationships that will last
a lifetime.
Curriculum and Instruction
Curriculum is constantly updated and revised to ensure the
latest information and instructional methods are shared with
our students. In the fall of 2005, the English program was
completely restructured to ensure effective integration of
writing, research, classical and recreational literature,
critical analysis of literature of many genres, and
integration of technology within the instructional program
at all levels. Consistent with this updating, we have
implemented a Writing and Research Across the Curriculum
initiative. This initiative integrates writing and research
skills into each instructional discipline and class with
specific standards to be met by each student.
In Mathematics we have added specific components for ACT
preparation as well as an Advanced Placement Calculus
class. Technological integration in mathematics is also
proceeding through calculator activities and
computer-generated instruction and testing. Graphing
calculators are used in math classes, as well as appropriate
software for use with the wireless connectivity system and
e-beam technology.
In the fall of 2009, we implemented the University 101
Program, an important effort to ensure that each class
integrates web-based instruction that is text-free and
teacher/student driven. Each class is scheduled and
required to meet in one of the schools six technology
centers on (at minimum) a weekly basis for technology-driven
instruction. Teachers have established websites for their
classes and students upload assignments to teachers through
the Google Apps portal.
Service is a hallmark of Bishop Byrne. In keeping with our
strong tradition of service, we have increased the service
requirements for each student to 20 hours per year. In
addition to this, we now require each class (Freshmen,
Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors) to complete service projects
as well as each school club and athletic team.
Finally, during the 2009-10 school year, we implemented a
nationally recognized program designed to ensure continuous
improvement in Explore, PLAN and ACT outcomes. Program
materials have been mandated for use in Reading, English,
Mathematics, Science and Social Studies classes on a weekly
basis.
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