NEW YEAR--NEW opportunities--Same "OLD" Traditions

A new year, new courses, a new baseball field, and soon for our class of 2016 graduates, new colleges, universities, and opportunities to continue on their path to be Men of Character & Accomplishment!  

We all face newness as the calendar year has turned.  Parent, students, faculty and staff, our communities and our world will soon encounter MANY NEW "things" as 2016 unfolds.

The word 'NEW' can conjure up a variety of images, thoughts and perceptions depending on the person or the situation. 

For many, ‘NEW’ means opportunities, expanded learning, excited optimism; for others, it can conjure up feelings of uncertainty, worry, and even pessimism that something NEW cannot possibly be as good as the ‘old.’ 

While both approaches are fairly common, what I have found is that change is constant and, thus, our role as we prepare our students at St. John Vianney High School is to educate our young men beyond course content, to ensure that they possess the ability to be flexible and adaptable and work with courage and curiosity as they face the ‘NEW.’

This in itself is NOT a 'NEW' concept to Vianney or our Marianist traditions.  Since our establishment in 1960 Vianney has educated our students so they can best adapt and change with the signs of the times.

I recently read an expert from a speech given to students in the late 1970's the person delivering the speech stated the following skills would be needed for the 1980s:

“Students will need to have a strong intellectual bias. They must not only tolerate complexity, but welcome it as an intellectual challenge…the preferred skills will be analytical and intellectual.”

As we enter 2016 the skills students need to be successful have not changed all that much.  At Vianney we have an important task and responsibility to educate our students so they can:

• Enhance their spiritual development and formation of faith;
• Focus on creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration;
• Create, evaluate, and effectively utilize information, media, and technology; and to
• Pay rigorous attention to developing adequate life and career skills including:
• Initiative & Self Direction;
• Social & Cross-Cultural Skills;
• Productivity & Accountability;
• Leadership & Responsibility;
• Flexibility & Adaptability.

I am so  excited for 2016 to begin and for what the future has in store for our Vianney family! It is evident to me that we are carrying on the ‘old’ tradition of preparing our young men  for the ‘NEW.’

Happy New Year, Everyone!