Catholic Identity and Core Values

 

 

 

Respect means having an understanding of the dignity that is inherent in all of Creation and in every single person, because everything and everyone is uniquely created, loved, and willed by God. We instill in our students a curiosity about the world and how it works, because from the small grain of sand to the greatest galaxy, we can learn something about the God who made it. Our respect for every person also stems from knowing that each is created in the image and likeness of God. In fact, so great is God's love for humanity "that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." (John 3:16) At St. Norbert School, we learn how to shine forth with this same love.

 

Integrity cannot be learned from a textbook. We have to see what it looks like in action so that we can learn to do the same. At St. Norbert School, we understand that integrity involves forming the whole child. This means more than helping our students to excel in the classroom. As Pope St. John Paul II said, "Catholic education aims not only to communicate facts, but also to transmit a coherent, comprehensive vision of life, in the conviction that the truths contained in that vision liberate students in the most profound meaning of human freedom." We work every day to ensure that our students can experience the freedom that comes from knowing that they are loved and supported by our faculty and staff.

 

Service isn't simply one extracurricular activity among many at St. Norbert School. Jesus himself told his apostles, "I am among you as the one who serves." (Luke 22:27) Because it is in the example of his life that we find the fullest expression of what it means to be human, we challenge our students to give of themselves - to their classmates, to their community, and to the world. Whether it is through our Buddy Program, collecting food for those in need, or through project ideas that the students themselves initiate, they learn to follow Jesus' command to serve.

 

Excellence and success can mean many different things. Do our students achieve academically? Yes. St. Norbert has even been previously recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School. After graduation, are they prepared for high school? Absolutely. We have students who go on to participate in The Academy at GBN and into the honors programs at Loyola Academy. You can regularly read stories about our alumni in our local newspapers. They go to great colleges and universities. They have successful careers. As amazing as all of these accomplishments are, this is not how we define excellence at St. Norbert School - because it isn't how God defines it. The greatest thing we can impart is the desire for a deeper relationship with God in Jesus Christ. As St. Augustine once wrote, "our hearts are restless until they rest in You." We don't want our students to be satisfied with the things of this world. We want them to graduate with a desire for more. We want their reach to exceed their grasp, so that they will always be reaching for Heaven.