Academic Excellence and Beyond!

As principal of St. John Vianney High School it's hard to go almost anywhere in St. Louis without being recognized.  It certainly doesn't help that I wear Vianney gear 90% of  the time.  Be it restaurants, grocery stores, the movie theater, or church, it's comforting to see a friendly smile, receive a nice greeting, or catch a wave from a person who identifies me as the principal of Vianney!

As such, I am often approached and asked questions about our school by prospective families or introduced to them by current Vianney parents and students.  I always love these opportunities to speak about the magic of our school!

The mission at St. John Vianney High School is to develop young men for spiritual, academic, and personal excellence in the Catholic, Marianist tradition. 

We seek to develop Men of Character and Accomplishment who leave our institution intellectually curious, courageous and compassionate, with a strong faith formation and a personal relationship with Christ. A wonderful mission- and, yes, a tall order!

We are very much aware of our school’s reputation for academic excellence, and we are very proud of it! 

• In 2012 we were recognized as a top 50 Catholic High School for our Academic program, commitment to Catholic education, and civic awareness.  
• In 2013 the Gurian Institute recognized Vianney for our implementation of brain-based strategies and research as a Model School (1 of 12 in the country).
• In 2014 our school became a National School of Excellence (awarded to the top 5% of Catholic High School's in the country!) 

However, I do want to share another vital component that MUST, in our minds, be in place in order to ensure a successful and challenging program that achieves our mission.

Discussions with colleagues working in education as well as a wealth of research point to the necessity of an educational approach that takes far more than just the academic curriculum into consideration. At Vianney, we have made a commitment, not only to affording our young men with academic as well as extracurricular options, but also to ensuring that we are equipping our students to be authentic, to seek a fulfilling and active faith life, and to have a strong understanding of the importance of leadership and character in all that they do. 

While Vianney is blessed to possess a true family spirit in our community, the capacity building and support of our students such that they leave us as Men of Character and Accomplishment is something that does not just happen. 

In what has become an increasingly fast-paced world, with a deluge of information at our fingertips, it is a challenge for staff and parents to guide high-achieving young men with high expectations as they navigate through life and its challenges. The ability to recognize how to take things as they come, to slow down and to be mindful of our approaches is a complex skill. It is one that requires a comfort with discomfort– a tension- as all of us want everything to be perfect; we want to feel positive and have everything work out, yet life has taught us that things just don’t always happen in smooth and uncomplicated ways. Thus we find ourselves, an institution of excellence, working to clarify that this means building capacity and understanding that excellence requires a journey- that it is not solely about outcomes but more importantly about understanding oneself and the development of the individual along the the way (spiritually, academically, and personally).

Five years ago I started my tenure as Vianney's principal with the hopes that our school would grow in to a community that understood the importance of engaging our students in the learning process, cared for students like they were our own children, and that challenged and inspired them to expect more of themselves while emphasizing the importance of helping others to achieve more. 

As I look up and down our halls, as the twitter feeds continue to fill with differentiated learning in our classrooms and stories of personal, team, and community success, I would suggest the evolution of our school is well on our way.   

We welcome you and all to St. John Vianney High School- a school of which we are very proud- and one that affords not only an exceptional academic experience but a commitment to learning, leading and living well.