INCARNATION CATHOLIC SCHOOL MISSION STATEMENT
The Book of Proverbs (29:18) states, "Without vision, the people perish." A Catholic school, like any organization, must be driven by vision. Decisions must be made in accordance with the organization's mission statement; to do otherwise ultimately leads to lack of direction, confusion, frustration, chaos and eventually the end of the organization.
As a Catholic school, our overall vision very explicitly comes from Canon Law. Catholic education deals with forming the whole person-- a person's intellectual, physical, moral and social abilities (Canon 795). Even though particular Catholic schools may use different words in their mission statements, the message must be the same. But, the message must not only appear on paper, or on walls, websites or brochures. The particular mission of a Catholic school must be tied to Canon Law and it must be the driving force behind everything done by the institution. Without an adherence to the vision of Catholic education, our schools will fail.
At Incarnation Catholic School, the mission statement clearly coincides with the Catholic Church's directive on Catholic education. The ICS Mission Statement is as follows:
Incarnation Catholic School continues our tradition of:
Inspiring life - long learners
Challenging each individual to develop spiritually
Striving to serve each other and the community as we prepare students for the future.
At ICS, our delivery of curriculum will not just be geared toward performance on a test, but instead have as its aim the development of enduring understandings. Spiritual growth will be a priority for all members of the school community-- students, teachers, administrators and even parents. Finally, it will not be enough to just become smarter and more spiritual. We must use our knowledge which is inspired by our faith to go out and make a difference in the world today, tomorrow and in the years to come. The learning at Incarnation must take on greater depth than to just do well on Friday's test. It must be used to help make the world a better place tomorrow than it is today.
All members of the ICS family must share this vision. Teachers must use it to guide their instruction of not only subject matter but subjects that matter. Students need to be inspired by it so as to bring an excitement and enthusiasm to school each and every day. Finally, parents must be willing to support both teachers and students, truly becoming partners with the school in the education of their children.
And when this happens, when all members of the organization can be motivated by a common vision, amazing gains can take place. As Edward Schillebeeckx, one of the most prominent Catholic theologians of modern times, wrote, "What we dream alone remains a dream, but what we dream with others can become a reality."
Or, "Without vision, the people perish."
With vision, however, we can move mountains. I look forward to moving some with you soon.
