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Saint Michael's Catholic Academy has been “A Catholic High School for Austin” for 26 years. 100% of last year's graduates were accepted to a four-year college or university. Small class size and an environment that focuses on developing the mind, body and spirit contributes heavily to this success. One metric that is difficult to measure, but is no less important, is the schools ability to inspire students to become lifelong learners.
“The principle goal of education is to create [people] who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done -- [people] who are creative, inventive and discoverers” - Jean Piaget
In my role as Principal of St. Michael’s, I’m fortunate to have an incredible staff around me who encourage and motivate the students every day. As educators, we strive to inspire students to find and live their passions. At St. Michael’s, we believe in three principles that are critical to preparing students for life as conscientious leaders on the world stage: empowering students to make choices while helping them to understand the implications of their decisions; instilling a sense of responsibility to oneself and to the world; creating an educational environment that stimulates the mind, body, and spirit of each student. These ideals shape the very fabric of our community to provide students with a foundation, both practical and pertinent, for the rest of their lives.
A sense of control
To be open to inspiration, a young-adult needs to sense that they have some control over their world. At the same time, though it may seem counterintuitive, it is important to allow adolescents to experience set backs. This can allow students to gain a sense of control, especially if they have a guide to help them assess the situation and ask, “What could have been done differently? What can be adjusted and improved?” At St. Michael’s Learning Center [16], students learn techniques in self-motivation that emphasize setting goals, taking risks, self-assessment, and accountability. We strive to help them learn from their mistakes as well as help them understand how the choices they make will affect their futures. These life skills prepare students to live responsibly on their own terms, allowing them to try new things and pursue their dreams with confidence.
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A responsibility to the world, a responsibility to oneself
Most truly inspired people serve something greater than themselves; family, a friend, God, or their local or global community. We teach our students that they all have gifts from God, as well as a spiritual obligation to use these gifts to improve the lives of those they care about and the world around them.
In an effort to encourage students to think about their community, St. Michael’s requires 60 hours of community service [20] before graduation, with a combined total of 6,350 hours from students each year. Each time a student volunteers at Mobile Loaves and Fishes or Any Baby Can, they come back both grateful for their own circumstances and more driven to make a difference in their community. A sense of personal, social and spiritual responsibility permeates everything we do, and we hope to instill this awareness in our students as they rise to the challenges facing humanity in the years to come.
Bringing it all together
Part of the awareness St. Michael’s brings to its student body is the acknowledgement of the mind, body, and spirit as the total person. Whether through the school’s Entrepreneurship Program [21], the successful athletics program [22], or our goal of academic excellence, we recognize that any endeavor requires more than intellect, physical exertion, or spiritual consideration; it requires all three. Our program embodies this concept, cultivating the mind with a 10:1 student to teacher ratio, nourishing the body through appropriate exercise and nutritious meals, and celebrating the spirit by providing daily opportunities for prayer and reflection. This integration gives purpose and meaning to the subjects we teach and the activities we offer; each lesson enriches the education as a whole, establishes the precedent that every aspect of a student’s life has value.
“We know what we are, but we know not what we may be” – William Shakespeare
Everyone has the capacity to be inspired. The faculty and staff of St. Michael’s strive to ignite the passion in each of our pupils to do something new, different, and important. By consciously and consistently providing opportunities for inspiration, we open the doors to possibility and innovation to all of our scholars as they grow into their roles in the world.
"Education is not merely a means for earning a living or an instrument for the acquisition of wealth. It is an initiation into life of spirit, a training of the human soul