Gonzaga Preparatory School

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Profile of the Graduate

Open to Growth
The Gonzaga Prep graduate has matured emotionally, intellectually, physically, socially and spiritually, and has become independent enough to make value-based judgments. The graduate:
  1. has learned to accept self as lovable and loved by God and others.
  2. has become open to a variety of aesthetic experiences.
  3. has become more flexible and open to other points of view; has recognized how much one learns from respectfully listening to those with different perspectives.
  4. has begun to seek positive new experiences, even those which involve some risk and the possibility of failure.
  5. has explored career and life-style choices within a Christian value framework.
  6. has recognized the necessary connection between emotional integrity and spiritual growth.
  7. has begun to develop a habit of reflection on experience, and to recognize the need for self-discipline; has taken responsibility for growth as a person.
Intellectually Competent
At graduation the Gonzaga Prep student will be adequately prepared for advanced forms of education. The graduate:
  1. Academic Requirements
    1. has grasped the fundamental skills of communication.
    2. has grasped the fundamental skills of mathematics.
    3. has developed logical and critical thinking skills.
    4. has studied those academic subjects required for entrance into college or some other form of post-secondary education.
  2. General Skills and Attitudes
    1. has developed a curiosity to explore ideas and issues.
    2. has developed an organized approach to learning tasks.
    3. has presented a convincing argument in written and oral form.
    4. has taken pride in school accomplishments and has begun to enjoy intellectual and aesthetic pursuits.
    5. has had the opportunity to develop occupational skills.
    6. has begun to develop an appreciation for the body and its physical development; has begun to understand the importance of caring for one's health and well-being.
  3. Substantive Knowledge
    1. has begun to develop a general knowledge of central ideas and a variety of intellectual disciplines.
    2. has begun to relate current issues and perspectives to some of their historical antecedents.
    3. has grown in appreciation of his or her cultural heritage.
    4. has begun to understand both rights and responsibilities as a citizen of the United States and the world.
    5. has begun to develop a repertory of images of the human condition as presented in literature, drama, biography, and history.
    6. has begun to understand some of the moral implications of the uses of science, technology, and capital as they relate to the environment and public policy.
    7. has been involved in art, music, drama, and other aesthetic pursuits through active participation and study.
    8. has begun to develop that critical consciousness which enables the student to analyze and evaluate better the issues facing men and women and to evaluate the various points of view on these issues.
Religious
At graduation, the Gonzaga Prep student, either Catholic or non-Catholic, will have a basic knowledge of the major doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church. The graduate will also have examined his or her own feelings and beliefs with a view to choosing a fundamental orientation toward God and establishing a relationship with a religious tradition and/or community. The graduate:
  1. has read from the Hebrew Scriptures and has personal familiarity with salvation history.
  2. has studied Scriptures and encountered the person of Jesus Christ as He is presented in the New Testament.
  3. has a basic understanding of the Church's teaching about Jesus Christ and His redeeming mission.
  4. has had exposure to non-Christian and non-Catholic religious traditions.
  5. has begun to take responsibility for personal faith development.
  6. has had some experience of God, in private prayer, on a retreat, in liturgical prayer, or in service to others.
  7. has continued to form a Christian conscience through evaluation of moral choices, and can reason through moral issues with increasing clarity.
  8. has begun to appreciate the Eucharist as the center of a vibrant Christian community.
  9. has recognized need for healing and reconciliation with friends, family, Church, and the Lord.
  10. has begun to understand the relationship between faith in Jesus and being a "Person for Others," based on Church teachings on social justice.
Loving
At graduation, the Gonzaga Prep student has begun to move toward a greater appreciation and acceptance of others. The graduate:
  1. has developed enough self-confidence to trust friends, members of the family, and adults of the school community.
  2. has learned to recognize personal prejudices and stereotypes; and to communicate more easily with others, especially with peers of other religions, nationalities, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
  3. has enhanced the school community by presence and participation.
  4. has begun to understand the complexity of human sexuality within a Christian framework.
  5. has begun to develop empathy.
  6. Has begun to appreciate the satisfaction of service to others.
  7. Has become more sensitive to the beauty of the created universe and more caring about life and the natural environment.
  8. Has become aware of God’s personal love.
Committed to Justice
At graduation, the Gonzaga Prep student has begun to acquire the skills and motivation necessary to live as a "Person for Others". The graduate:
  1. has become more aware of selfish attitudes and tendencies leading to unjust treatment of others.
  2. has begun to understand that Christian faith implies a commitment to a just society.
  3. has grown in awareness of the global nature of many current social problems.
  4. has begun to recognize that injustice exists in some institutions, attitudes, and customs.
  5. has developed 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 sense of human dignity.
  6. has begun to appreciate the richness of a pluralistic society.
  7. has begun to confront some of the moral ambiguities embedded in values promoted by Western culture.