From the Dean’s Office:
Why Do We Send Our Children to Catholic School?
Why Do We Send Our Children to Catholic School?
By Mr. Arrigo
November 2017
Part of me believes that everyone over the age of 40 has attended Catholic school at some point in their life. Obviously, that isn’t true, but it seems that in the many conversations I have with friends and acquaintances, we always come back to someone speaking about when and where they went to Catholic school. Sadly, a large portion of those schools have disappeared in the last few decades. There are many reasons for their decline: cost of living, transformation in the values of modern society, and a shift in people’s religious beliefs.
This brings me back to my original question, why do we send our children to Catholic school today? During my conversations with parents, in my role as a Dean, usually most will respond with one of two answers. They want their child to have the religious influence that they know Saint Anthony’s will provide, or they like the structure and discipline that comes with being in a private school. Here at Saint Anthony’s we like to believe that our students are exposed to both elements. We work very hard to create an extremely unique experience for the young people that walk the halls at 275 Wolf Hill Road. If you read the mission statement on the website, it reads “Capture the heart, and the mind will follow.” For us, we believe that teaching through emotion and appealing to the heart will help our students to grow and be kind, caring and successful citizens later in life. Of course, I think we all know that this cannot be done unless a child’s parent(s) are reinforcing the same beliefs at home. We must work together to ensure our children’s future. Much of this is very evident in all of the volunteerism we see with both the Mother’s and Father’s Guilds, as well all of the parents who show up regularly to the Parent/Teacher Conferences, artistic performances, and to serve meals in the cafeteria after sporting events. All of these things are beneficial to the growth of their children. The love and support they witness from their parents will carry over with them as they leave home and become adults.
In addition to the Catholic Franciscan values that Saint Anthony’s reinforces, the strong academic environment which is offered is also a major draw for parents who are considering sending their children here. Being recognized as a college preparatory high school is not in name only. It has become an expectation that all of our students who graduate have applied to an institute of higher education. Whether it’s a two-year or four-year program, or time spent in military service, our students continue in their search for Truth. Very often, outsiders with no in depth knowledge of our Friar community say that the main thing they know about Saint Anthony’s is its reputation for excellence in sports. In my pride for our school, I quickly fill them in on the stellar science program that we have here (with experiences and equipment that are unavailable in the majority of high schools in the country) and the amazingly talented students in the Fine Arts program. The high expectations in our classrooms can rival any high school on Long Island.
Finally, for me – and I’m positive it is not necessarily the last reason for sending your child to a catholic school – the discipline that is expected provides tremendous value to a young person as they prepare to enter into the “real” world. Although many students groan about the “Rules, rules, rules”, most understand that the regulations and procedures that are enforced give more back to them then they realize. While public school officials are restricted by the mandate that they must educate all children in their district, Saint Anthony’s does not have those same restrictions. When students understand that there are consequences to missteps, more often than not they take the right path. When you’re out of uniform, you may spend two hours of your time afterschool in detention. When you create a pattern of arriving late to school, you just may lose your driving privileges. When you are found possessing drugs on the grounds of Saint Anthony’s, prepare yourself for an expulsion. These are just a few examples which strive to teach our students that there are expectations, and failure to adhere to them leads to consequences. That’s life. Being a member of the Saint Anthony’s community is a gift. Those of you who sacrifice to send your student here are well aware. For making this sacrifice to send your children to Catholic School, I applaud you for your investment in your child.
For whatever reason you have for choosing to attend a Catholic high school, I applaud you. It’s not always an easy choice, but we hope you’ve made the right one. It is my hope, today, that I have validated your beliefs and opinions, and I encourage you to keep supporting and pushing your children to make the positive choices in life. We at Saint Anthony’s value our students and cherish every day when we can interact with them, helping them to become great people.
