Discover Loyola Principal's Message
Principal's Message
Open Minds and Open Hearts
At one point during the year, students from the media classes were doing projects on the "Grad at Grad." As they spoke to individuals and groups, they discovered that many could not name the five characteristics, but there was the distinct impression that they nevertheless knew what they were. Cardinal Newman wrote a book called the "Grammar of Assent" in which he distinguishes between what he called "Notional Assent" and "Real Assent." The "notional" are those things that we know in our minds through the intellect and reason while the "real" are those things that we know through the experience of life, those things which have truly become a part of who we are.
Education very often focuses on the notional and that is fine as far as it goes. If the goal is to have information in our heads then it's all that is really necessary. But when education is seen more broadly than notions, when it is understood as formation then the notional alone just doesn't suffice. While it was a bit embarrassing that so many were not able to name - Academically competent, Open to growth, Religious, Loving, and Committed to a faith that does justice - as the characteristics of Grad at Grad, the slight embarrassment was completely overshadowed by the inspiration of seeing how many had really incorporated these things into their lives and their way of seeing the world.
I have been awestruck by our students, young men who truly want to be instruments of change in the world, who want to make a difference.
Paul Donovan,
Principal,
Loyola High School
What is a great year? (Yearbook 2009-10)
As I wonder what to write in order to capture the flavor of the year that has passed, I find myself asking, “What makes a year great?”Every grad wants to remember his last year with fondness, recalling all of the wonderful things that happened and all of the events that contributed to a great year.It is true that certain things like championship teams, academic successes,remarkable plays and concerts and memorable carnivals and dances add to what we remember as a fantastic year, but the longer I am involved in school life, the more I realize that these things are only a very small part of a successful school year.
Who’s Responsible?
Loyola High School is “dedicated to the formation of mature, responsible Catholic adults in accordance with the vision and tradition of the Catholic Church and the Society of Jesus.” This, of course, is part of our statement of identity. While I’m sure you are all familiar with this statement, I wanted to take the opportunity to emphasize one word in this statement; “responsible”.
What's in a Number
Written by Paul Donovan
Numbers are a funny thing, on the one hand they are a necessary and helpful part of our lives while, on the other hand, they can be incredibly distracting and harmful.
We can’t find the Crèche
Written by Paul Donovan
After the Mothers’ Guild ladies had put up the Christmas decorations and the big tree stood so beautifully in the atrium, we decided it was time to set up the manger scene; after all, we had to be sure that the deeper, more significant meaning of Christmas was displayed along with everything else. That decision set off a chain reaction of frantic searching for the crèche which had somehow been misplaced.
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