PROFILE OF A GRADUATE
SAINT
Upon graduation, students at St. Clare Catholic School will be:
SPIRITUAL LEADERS OF CATHOLIC FAITH WHO:
Willingly participate in Catholic faith development activities
Understand the principles of Catholic moral and social teachings
Act as Jesus did by showing compassion for the diversity of God’s people
ACADEMICALLY PREPARED LEARNERS WHO:
Meet the rigors of a competitive college preparatory high school
Exhibit a variety of skills, such as: study habits, time management, organization, strong work ethic, active listening, and independence
Demonstrate growth and learning from the joy of success and frustration of failure
INVOLVED IN SERVICE WHO:
Serve others in local, national, and international communities
Display an understanding of manners and courtesy
Recognize an awareness of global issues through participation in service learning projects/fundraisers
NATURALLY RESPONSIBLE STUDENTS WHO:
Demonstrate a commitment to healthful choices
Exhibit self-awareness for physical improvement
Recognize the values of discipline, perseverance, teamwork and courage by participating in sports and athletic events
TECHNOLOGICALLY PREPARED INDIVIDUALS WHO:
Display an awareness of an ever-changing world
Use technology purposefully and proficiently
Apply inquiry skills in order to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information
SCCS PROVIDES SEVEN DISTINCT STORIES THAT TELL ABOUT OUR STUDENTS:
SHE MAKES DISCOVERIES
The little girl laughs so hard her belly hurts. She didn’t expect school to be fun. Her teachers talk about God, solar systems, Math, Spanish, coding, and more. New ideas blossom in her imagination. She never knew she could paint like this; or add big numbers; or kick a ball higher than anyone. She wonders if she might be a teacher someday. Or a princess-spy-doctor like her mother. Her heart soars. She is discovering so much at St. Clare. Mostly, she is discovering herself.
HE TALKS TO GOD
He loves the smell of church. It reminds him of Christmas and everything good. When he and his classmates recite the The Lord’s Prayer during Mass, their voices echo in unison and the hairs on his arms stand up. Looking at the ceiling of St. Clare, he senses God watching over him. He likes that feeling. It’s comforting. He wants to know more about God. He wants to build a relationship with Him. He closes his eyes and asks Him.
SHE NEVER QUITS
She crosses her arms in frustration. Her experiment isn’t working. Her teacher notices. She tells the girl It’s okay to make mistakes. Innovation is messy. DON’T stop. She thinks about her teacher’s words. She hadn’t thought of herself as an innovator before. Inspired, she reconsiders the parts of her experiment. She re-measures. She re-aligns. She re-calculates. She runs the experiment a second time. It works! She feels like she can do anything. She will never quit.
HE LEARNS HOW TO THINK
He collaborates with classmates on projects. He asks teachers probing questions. He listens to the opinions of others. He applies new knowledge from one class to a different problem he faces in another. He advocates for his own point of view. Sometimes, he changes his mind. More than what to think, he learns HOW to think at St. Clare. He is not just preparing for the future here. He is preparing to create it.
SHE BECOMES A LEADER
Compassion. Confidence. Courage. Creativity. Curiosity. Flexibility. Independence. Initiative. Innovation. Openness. Organization. Resilience. Responsibility. Self-awareness. Teamwork. From the very beginning, her teachers cultivate these qualities in her young heart and mind. This focus gradually shapes her. She participates in class; she keeps diverse friends; she makes better personal decisions; she helps kids who can’t help themselves. Inside and outside the classroom, she is becoming a leader.
HE WORKS WITH EXPERTS
He remembers being intimidated by multiplication, filled with knee-knocking dread by Spanish, and made physically ill by the notion of public speaking. But then his 2nd Grade teacher tutored him every day after school; his 5th Grade teacher nurtured a gift for languages he didn’t know he had; and his 7th Grade teacher made him feel successful despite his nervousness. He will miss friends when he graduates next week, but he will miss his teachers more. Equal parts expert and loving, they changed his life forever.
SHE THRIVES IN HIGH SCHOOL
Like other St. Clare alumni, she is near the top of her class at the best Catholic, Christian, private and public high schools in the area. There, she takes multiple Honors and Advanced Placement courses. She is captain of her team. She starts a club. She volunteers. It does not surprise her counselors when she receives scholarships to universities across the country. She picks a school near home. She is a natural leader in college. People listen when she speaks. She is going to make a difference. Someday, she is going to change the world.