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75M in Scholarships Only Tells Part of the Story

This past week was eventful here in the Diocese. Our "littles" moved up into their higher grades while our 8th graders concluded their time in elementary school. Meanwhile, our seniors readied themselves for career, military service and college.

Of our seniors, several statistics are noteworthy:

  • 664 seniors across six high schools
  • 602 will attend either a two or four year college
  • 6 will enter the military
  • 18,681 hours of community service
  • 2,850 college acceptances
  • $75M earned in college scholarships and financial aid

The final metric, monies earned due to need, merit or athletics on the post-secondary level (college) obviously stands out because of its size. For parents who sacrifice much to send their kids to Catholic schools, this data point speaks of a genuine return on investment. 

But there's more to the story.

Parents surely want their kids to graduate from our six high schools and get into great colleges. They also want the help that most parents need in order to afford college. Both of these are relatively easy to guarantee through our high schools. You'll get into college and you'll be given a lot of scholarships.

Beyond this, our high schools deliver something far more valuable than college scholarships: virtue formation and measurable growth in their faith. 

By virtue formation, we mean that our schools create a "laboratory" in which students grow and are invited to excellence. This involves morality but also critical thinking in order to navigate an often confusing (and noisy) world. Our students are challenged to use a well-formed conscience and invited into the hard conversations that ethical living demands.

By measurable growth in faith, we know that our students graduate with deeper, more personal and a more consistent practice of their faith in Christ. They know Him better as a result of going to our schools. 

Are $75M earned in college scholarships impressive? Absolutely. And, we believe that the steps taken in both virtue and faith are even more significant.