Approved by the Board of Directors
May 2004
Final Form September 2006 M. Sciuto

St. Louis U. High's
Profile of the Graduate at Graduation

INTRODUCTION

This profile is based upon a document by the Jesuit Secondary Educational Association. It has been chosen as the basis of the St. Louis University High School self-study because of its comprehensive scope and its value orientation.

The statement is one of hopes and ideals. It is not intended to be a description of the "product" manufactured at St. Louis U. High. Education at St. Louis U. High is not such a manipulative enterprise, nor can education succeed merely through engineering and programming. We are principally dependent upon the grace and help of God.

In describing the graduate under five general categories, we chose those qualities which seem most desirable not only for this threshold period, but those which seem most desirable for his adult life. These five general categories sum up the many aspects or areas of life most in accord with a full adult living of the Christian life. Whether one conceives of the desirable qualities of a graduate of St. Louis U. High under the rubric of a "Man for Others," or simply as a fully mature Christian, the qualities summed up under the five categories below appear to be the qualities that cumulatively point in the direction of the kind of person who can live an adult Christian life in the twenty-first century.

These categories are (I) Open to Growth, (II) Intellectually Competent, (III) Religious, (IV) Loving, and (V) Committed to Doing Justice. Some specified elements under these categories in the profile could have been placed under other of the five categories. Obviously, all of the characteristics described are in dynamic interaction; the division into the five categories simply provides a helpful way to analyze and describe the graduate. Some overlapping is evident because in fact many of these qualities are mutually interrelated and intertwined.

In presenting this profile, the school recognizes that its influence on a student's growth is limited. Other influences, frequently out of the control of the school such as family, friends, the youth culture and the general social environment in which one lives, will hinder or foster the student's growth. But the school will intentionally bring its resources to bear on fostering the students' growth in the direction of the profile.


(I) OPEN TO GROWTH

The St. Louis U. High School student at the time of graduation has matured as a person-
emotionally, intellectually, physically, socially, religiously - to a level that reflects some
intentional responsibility for his growth. The graduate is beginning to reach out in his development, seeking opportunities to stretch his mind, imagination, feelings, and religious consciousness.

Although still very much in the process of developing, the graduate already:

1. is pursuing integrity and excellence as he continues to take responsibility for the development of his mind and body.
2. in his search for growth he is also learning how to accept himself, both his talents and his limitations.
3. is more conscious of his feelings and how they affect his actions, and is freer and more authentic in expressing them; at the same time he is beginning to confront his responsibilities to himself and to others to manage his compulsive or impulsive drives.
4. is open to intellectual, aesthetic, and moral experiences-truth, beauty, and goodness -- in a variety of settings, and continues to develop his imaginative sensibilities.
5. is becoming more flexible and open to other points of view; he realizes the potential for learning through listening openly to others.
6. is developing a habit of reflection on his experience.
7. is beginning to seek new experiences, even those which involve some risk or the possibility of failure.
8. is exploring career and future lifestyle choices within the framework of Christian values.
9. is beginning to open himself to the broader issues of the world.
10. sees his life as moving toward commitment.
11. is aware of delicacy and sacredness of life.
12. sees life as moving toward commitment.
13. begins to see the need to use his leisure time constructively.


(II) INTELLECTUALLY COMPETENT

By graduation the St. Louis U. High School student will exhibit an appropriate mastery of the fundamental tools of learning and will be well on his way to honing his emerging intellectual skills for more advanced levels of learning. He is beginning to see the need for intellectual integrity in other areas of concern such as the quest for religious truth and for social justice.

By graduation, the student already:

A. Skills and Attitudes

14. is developing mastery of logical skills and critical thinking.
15. is developing a style that is more precise and natural in thought and expression both written and oral.
16. is developing a curiosity to explore ideas and issues, and beginning to enjoy intellectual and imaginative pursuits.
17. is becoming more capable of applying what he has learned to new situations, and can adjust to a variety of learning formats.
18. is developing an organized approach to learning tasks and can present a convincing argument in a research paper.
19. sees his intelligence as a gift to be used for God's glory, taking pride in his work yet resisting the temptation to intellectual arrogance.
20. is growing in awareness of his own and others' ethnocentric attitudes.
21. is able to structure his own time.

B. Basic Knowledge

22. has begun to develop general knowledge of central ideas, methodologies, and structures or intellectual disciplines of knowledge.
23. has begun to relate current events to some of their historical antecedents; is growing in appreciation of his cultural heritage.
24. is growing in awareness of the global nature of many current social problems surrounding human rights, energy, ecology, food, population, interreligious dialogue, terrorism and arms limitations, and their impact on various human communities.
25. has begun to understand some of the public policy implications of the uses of science, technology, and capital.
26. is beginning to confront some of the moral ambiguities imbedded in values promoted by Western culture.
27. is beginning to understand his rights and responsibilities as a citizen of the United States, as well as to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the United States' form and practice of government.
28. responds with passion and compassion to the stories of the human person through literature, biography, history, and fine arts.
29. is beginning to enjoy learning more about his world through the lenses of humanities, religion, science, mathematics, and foreign language.
30. is beginning to develop a critical consciousness by which he can better evaluate the issues facing contemporary man and the various approaches to these issues.


(III) RELIGIOUS

By graduation the St. Louis U. High School student will have a basic knowledge of the major doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church. He will also have examined his own religious feelings and beliefs with a view to choosing his fundamental orientation toward God and his relationship with a religious tradition and or community. What is said here, respectful of the conscience and religious background of the individual, applies to the non-Catholic graduate of St. Louis U. High School as well. The level of theological understanding of the St. Louis U. High School graduate will naturally be limited by his level of religious and human development.

More specifically, the St. Louis U. High School student at graduation:

31. has read the Gospels and encountered the person of Christ as he is presented in the New Testament.
32. has a basic understanding of the Church's teaching about Jesus and his redeeming mission. as well as the sacramental expression of that mission in and through the Church.
33. has had some exposure to non-Christian and non-Catholic religious traditions.
34. is becoming more aware of his own responsibility to explore and validate his faith and of the choices which that validation implies.
35. has had some personal experience of God, either in private prayer, while on a retreat, in liturgical prayer, or in some other moving experience; he is learning how to express himself in various methods of prayer.
36. is beginning to form a conscience by which he evaluates his moral choices, and can work his way through moral issues with increasing clarity.
37. has begun to appreciate how a living community and the Eucharist complement each other.
38. is learning through his own failures of his need for healing by and reconciliation with friends, family, Church, and the Lord.
39. has begun to understand the relationship between faith in Jesus and being a "man for others." Has some familiarity with Church teaching on social justice.
40. has had some satisfying experiences of serving others in need, and through compassion recognizes their need for respect, justice, and love.
41. is exposed to enthusiastic living models of Christianity.


(IV) LOVING

By the time of graduation, the St. Louis U. High School student is well on his way to establishing his own identity. He is also on the threshold of being able to move beyond self-interest or self-centeredness in his relationships with significant others. In other words, he is beginning to be able to risk, however awkwardly, some deeper levels of relationship in which he can disclose himself and accept the mystery of another person and cherish that person.

More specifically, the St. Louis U. High School graduate:

42. is learning to trust more deeply the fidelity of some friends, members of his family, and some adults of the school community.
43. has experienced moments of God's love, however vaguely, in the gifts of life, faith,
forgiveness, talents, hope.
44. is coming to accept and love himself as he is with his assets and limitations; has a more mature and considerate sense of humor.
45. has begun to overcome personal prejudices and stereotypes, and to communicate meaningfully with persons different from himself in age, gender, nationality, politics, race, religion, sexual orientation, or social class.
46. has experienced the support of various levels of community in the school and has learned to extend himself in building up the school community.
47. feels more at ease and mature with persons of the opposite sex than in early adolescence.
48. can articulate the Catholic Church's teaching on human sexuality in a manner appropriate to his age, and has begun to integrate it into his life.
49. has begun to appreciate deeper personal friendships, but is also learning that not all
relationships are profound and long lasting.
50. through service of others, he is beginning to appreciate the satisfaction of giving of himself for other people and thereby finding his life enriched.
51. is more capable of putting himself in another person's place and understanding what he is feeling.
52. is more in touch with his own feelings and capable of expressing them to close friends.
53. is more sensitive to the beauty of the created universe and is more caring about life and his natural environment.


(V) COMMITTED TO DOING JUSTICE

The St. Louis U. High School student at graduation has achieved considerable knowledge of the many needs of local and wider communities and is preparing himself for the day when he will take a place in these communities as a competent, concerned and responsible member. The graduate recognizes within self the potential for doing injustice and has begun to see injustices in some of the surrounding social structures. He has begun to acquire the skills and motivation necessary to live this commitment. Although this attribute will come of fruition in mature adulthood, some characteristics will have begun to manifest themselves earlier.

By graduation the St. Louis U. High student:

54. is more aware of selfish attitudes and tendencies in himself which lead him to treat others unjustly, and consciously seeks to be more understanding, accepting, and generous with others.
55. is beginning to see that his Christian faith implies a commitment to a just society.
56. is beginning to understand the structural roots of injustice in social institutions, attitudes, and customs.
57. has witnessed the needs of some disadvantaged segments of the community through community service programs and has gained some empathy for their conditions of living.
58. is developing both a sense of compassion for the victims of injustice and a concern for those social changes which will assist them in gaining their rights and increased human dignity.
59. has reflected on his experience of working with and for others in service programs, thereby coming to know himself better, and also growing in his awareness of alternatives in public policy which govern the service provided for various segments of the community.
60. has begun to reflect on public service aspects of the career he might choose to pursue.
61. is beginning to understand some of the broader demands of community building in his community.
62. is beginning to grasp that many social issues expand beyond the local community and in fact are national or global in scope. In this way he is beginning to see the importance of voter influence on public policy in local, regional, national and international arenas.
63. is beginning to understand the complexity of many social issues and the need for critical reading of diverse sources of information about them.
64. is beginning to realize that the values of a consumer society are sometimes in conflict with the demands of a just society, and indeed with the Gospel.