Statement of Philosophy
MISSION
The mission of St. Joan of Arc School is to teach, build community, and serve.
We are united in our devotion to the Maid of Orleans, national heroine and patron saint of France, who united a nation through grand, celestial visions of our Lord. We are dedicated to Saint Joan of Arc's vision of integrating Christ's message of peace, hope, and love into our daily lives. Ours is a mission of unity amid diversity, courage amid change, empowerment through full participation, and hope in our Beatitude based mutuality of joint decision-making. Our vision is ever evolving and ever unfolding in response to the endlessly changing needs of our students, parents, parish and community.
As a religious as well as an academic institution, we assume a developmental stance enveloped in an ethic of care. We are a community of learners where students, teachers, parents, and administrative staff are recognized and celebrated as individuals of unique and infinite abilities and gifts.
Our purpose is distinct in its unlimited, yet unified scope. Like Saint Joan of Arc, we believe in “visions”. The vision of our core is open-ended, incorporating the limitless potential of individuals in community. We dare the impossible. We do not see horizons. We do not recognize limits. We carry Saint Joan of Arc's white banner, representing God's blessing on us all. Our mission is a continuous pilgrimage. Our relationship to God and to each other, as expressed in Scripture, Catholic doctrine, and tradition, is one of infinite possibilities.
We wear the armor of Saint Joan of Arc, the armor of hope in Christ's light and joy in the way of the Lord. Within this Catholic atmosphere, there is genuine concern, gentleness, happiness, and charity. Central of the affective development of the whole child is the intellectual response to the cognitive dimension. A focus on basic academic skills, critical and creative thinking, global/future studies, environmental concerns, and multicultural education is all part of our response to the national goals of America 2000. We collaborate, cooperate, and reflect in a learning environment which cultivates freedom, celebrates choices, and welcomes challenges.
Within an aesthetic context of music and art appreciation, Saint Joan of Arc School lives THE VISION. WE DARE THE IMPOSSIBLE! We believe in God. We believe in each other.