The Board of Directors is pleased to announce an update to the school's mission statement, which was last revised in 1990. The discernment of the school's mission was first inspired by the Jesuits West Province during the school's 2016 sponsorship review. The new statement marks the culmination of a two-year process of community engagement and reflection on the essential identity and purpose of a Gonzaga Preparatory School. "The Board extends its gratitude to all who have generously contributed to the process,” says Board Chair Tamara McGregor, “We thank the members of the Mission, Vision, and Values task force who led our discernment in updating to the mission statement, the Profile of the Graduate, and Core Values."
The task force engaged the Prep community in reflection on the school's mission through interviews, focus groups, and surveys. The first step was an update to the Profile of the Graduate, a document that describes the desired outcomes of a Gonzaga Prep education. From the Profile, five core Ignatian values were identified, which will guide discernment in all aspects of the school. The most challenging step of the process was to synthesize the reflections of the community into a succinct and memorable articulation of the school's central identity and purpose into a new Mission Statement:
Gonzaga Preparatory School is a Catholic, Jesuit college preparatory school that educates students according to Gospel values, inspiring leaders who create a more just and loving world.
“The first sentence grounds Prep in its Catholic and Jesuit identity, and names the essential nature of our institution as one that is guided by its faith in Jesus Christ,” says Fr. J.K. Adams, S.J. “Our Jesuit identity calls us to live from the heart of the Catholic Church and to reach out to the margins, welcoming all who desire a Catholic education in the Jesuit tradition. Gonzaga Prep lives this identity as a college preparatory school, and promises an excellent education that gives students every opportunity to be academically engaged and spiritually alive, so as to be a success in college, and in life.”
The central phrase of the statement describes the transformative impact of a Prep education, with parents, alumni, faculty and staff, working in concert to shape the values of our students according to the Gospel and lived example of Jesus. Together, we nurture the holy desires of our students, which motivate their choices at college and beyond, and lead them to be people of faith, character, and integrity.
The final phrase articulates the greatest hope for a Gonzaga Prep education. “The call of justice demands that every student seeks and stands for what is right and true,” says Michael Dougherty. “Love, the most important of all Gospel values, reminds us to want what is best for each other.” Taken together, the pursuit of love and justice are the heart of Jesuit education, and our work is to teach students to critically reflect on the values of society in light of the Gospel, inspiring each student to lead a life of meaning as a person for, and with others.
"We invite our community to read the Executive Summary report that was prepared for the board by visiting www.gprep.com/ExecutiveSummary. We look forward to the way this work will help shape the future of Gonzaga Prep and our graduates that we send out into the world," says Corrina Kelsey `06, Vice President of Advancement.