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• Administration • Augustinian Order • Augustinian Schools • Board of Directors • Core Values • Directions • History • Mission Statement • School Seal • St. Rita of Cascia's Life Story •
Philosophy of
St. Rita
of Cascia
High School
St. Rita High School
is an Augustinian Catholic college preparatory
school for young men located on the
south side of Chicago.
For over 100
years, St. Rita has prepared over
20,000 young men to take on
leadership roles in countless
professions and many different walks
of life.
It operates under the auspices of the Augustinian religious order, and
therefore it endorses the Augustinian philosophy of education as
expressed above. As an authorized Catholic school in the Archdiocese of
Chicago, St. Rita High School endorses the archdiocesan school board
stated aim of “creating a Christian educational community where human
culture and knowledge, enlightened and enlivened by faith are shared
among teachers and students in a spirit of freedom and love.”
Because of its Augustinian roots, St. Rita High School especially
reflects the following values of St. Augustine and finds them especially
relevant to its unique role:
the value of
community: “Before all else . . love God and then your fellow man,
for this is the
purpose of your coming together.” (Regula)
the value of the
liberal arts and the pursuit of truth in a school: “He . . . is
called studious
. . . who with all earnestness seeks those things which
pertain to liberal culture and adornment
of mind . . . especially if we
add (that) he studies to hear the open and pure Truth ....
especially
knowledge of God.” (De Utilitate Credendl)
the value of search
in restlessness: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our
hearts
are restless until they rest in You.” (Confessiones)
St.
Rita High School’s purpose is to assist each person in the orderly
development of his capabilities -- intellectual, spiritual, emotional,
moral, civic, and physical. Thereby, he should become a mature Christian
capable of functioning proficiently in institutions of higher learning
and in adult society. The school’s primary consideration is the
intellectual development of its students, an aim shared with the family,
church, and state. Academically, St. Rita High School aims at a liberal
education that will enrich the unique personality of each individual and
increase mental adaptability, awareness, sensitivity, and a spirit of
inquiry, all aimed with God as a final goal. As an officially chartered
school in the state of Illinois, St. Rita High School recognizes and
accepts its role in developing informed and responsible citizens and
leaders.
As a
private Catholic school and thus an agent and of the family and church,
St. Rita High School integrates the spiritual and moral aspects of life
with intellectual development. St. Rita High School tries to increase
awareness of religious and cultural heritage. As part of its Christian
ministry, St. Rita High School strives for the ideal that it becomes a
strong Catholic community in which staff, faculty, and students give
daily witness of Christ’s care and concern as they share their lives
with each other.
In light of its
philosophy and in addition to the general aims stated above,
St. Rita
High School seeks to develop in students:
a vital realization of
God as the source and goal of human life and activity
an awareness of God as
source and sanction of all moral obligation
a reasonably thorough
understanding of Catholic doctrine and practice
the belief that the
American form of government exists for the benefit of the people, that
each person has received from God certain inalienable rights which the
state cannot take away, that the well-being of American democracy
depends upon the action of individuals
knowledge of history
and appreciation of American heritage
knowledge,
understanding, and appreciation of cultures, ideologies, and languages
difference from their own
the logical and
computational skills of modern mathematics
facility in the use of
language, including reverence for “the word,” a liking for how reading
and literature can enrich an understanding of life’s possibilities, and
understanding of the conventions of grammar, usage, and literature -- as
well as competence in the basic communication skills, especially reading
and writing
an awareness of God’s
handiwork: the physical world, its structure and its beauty -- and thus
a sense of responsibility for the care of that world
an awareness of the
human family with its ethnic and economic diversities
certain skills useful for
future adult life and employment
some skills in locating and
using the information available in libraries and other resource
centers
an understanding of and
respect of the body and an appreciation of physical fitness
a genuine love of family and a
Christian respect for and understanding of the responsibilities of
parenthood
the ability to think clearly,
critically, and creatively
a sense of pride and
fulfillment in shaping a unique personal identity.
To achieve these aims, St. Rita High
School:
seeks faculty members
who are mature individuals: people whose mental and moral qualities
challenge the students to emulate them, and whose open-mindedness and
tolerance mark them as balanced and sensitive
seeks in faculty
members the qualities that mark a person as an educator, one who is
proficient in his/her field, who can communicate with enthusiasm and
imagination, who can encourage, who can sympathize with and can adapt
with flexibility to young men on their way to maturity
provides, as far as possible,
homogeneous grouping so that teaching may be addressed to the student’s
abilities and achievements, and mosaic scheduling with electives to
satisfy special interests and skills
provides some course
and programs designed to help less accomplished students accelerate
their performance so that they may choose college, if they should so
desire
provides programs
designed to meet and, if possible, to surpass college entrance
requirements, and to prepare qualified students for placement in
advanced college courses
provides opportunities for
religious growth, formally through scheduled religious activities
and informally through sharing in Christian community and love
provides a program of
guidance and counseling which enables each student to define,
understand, and reach his goals -- academic, intellectual, and personal
promotes a code of student
conduct which encourages courtesy, self-discipline, and
responsibility
encourages each
student to participate in co-curricular activities
cooperates with
parents as much as possible in the shared task of helping young men
develop themselves
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