#29
Why is this important? Why do we choose to pay to send our kids to single-sex, faith-based high schools when a Top 10 State of Ohio public high school is less than one mile from my house?
Faith is an important part of life. You need to educate yourself about your faith and participate in the rituals and events to learn about it. Work to understand the history. Ask questions. Participate in the community. Faith beyond following pure secular tradition adds to your life. Grow to understand that a fulfilling life is about more than just you.
These schools create communities of shared values. Beyond being academically challenging, the schools focus on traditional values, family, service, and being well-rounded. I like traditional values. Traditional values have been passed down through generations because they work. Following a traditional life path increases the odds of a happy life & decreases the odds that you’ll leave a mess for those coming after you. This does not mean boring, but it does mean you are largely focused on someone besides yourself, which might not always be the most fun option. It is certainly not the easy option.
This is a big reason I was so upset when we were asked to leave St. Chris in 2021 (long story, a topic for another email). St. Chris, our local church and elementary school, is a community that we invested in heavily based on values that proved fleeting when challenged.
Another feature of these schools is they are single-sex schools. There are positives that outweigh the negatives for me. The negatives are that you are not spending a significant quantity of time with the opposite sex. Teen girls can be mysterious to teen boys (opposite is true I am sure) and this confusion can mount if you are spending limited time around girls. During those limited social engagements, there can be extra pressure to impress.
The positives are that it allows the students to grow without the aforementioned pressure to impress. Boys are less distracted, girls are more likely to raise their hands. There is less pressure to look good & while there is benefit to presenting yourself well, this at times can overwhelm & distract in high school.
For the record, I graduated from St. Ignatius HS in 1991. While not always easy socially or academically, I had a good experience and have enjoyed being a alum. To this day, the community of people that are associated with that school are largely people I enjoy.
Quinn graduated from St. Edward HS in 2021 (rival to St Ignatius & an impressive school). He plans to attend Xavier University starting Fall 2022.
Lindsay & Eliza will graduate from Magnificat HS in 2023.
Charlie will enter St. Ignatius HS next Fall as part of the Class of 2026.