Choosing the right school is one of the important decisions parents can make for their teenage children. Choosing the right high school is important as it lays a solid foundation for post-secondary education and equips students with basic skills for life. Parents choose schools for a variety of reasons: location, program, quality of education, quality of staff, graduation rate and college admission rate, just to name a few. These are all important things to consider, but there’s one other factor that parents may want to consider in choosing a high school for their children: faith.
Faith-based schools operate from the principle that the education of a person is not limited to the intellectual sphere, but rather, it goes beyond to encompass the spiritual aspects of the person. An excellent academic program is, without a doubt, essential in preparing a student for college and life thereafter, but it is not the only value there is.
Faith-based schools hold faith formation as an equally important value in the overall education of a person. Hence, the programs in faith-based schools, most of the time, if not always, reflect and foster the values that these institutions uphold. Faith-based schools put strong emphasis on not only enhancing the students’ knowledge and understanding of the sciences and the arts but also of religion. There is also an emphasis on the formation of a good conscience and moral character and the teaching of skills necessary to lead a moral and wholesome life.
In faith-based high schools, students learn to pray and be comfortable in expressing and living out their faith in the public arena. They also learn to develop social skills and to form good friendships and healthy relationships with others. Students are also taught leadership skills in order to build up their community and become role models to their peers. Some faith-based schools offer a residential program, like boarding schools that have students throughout the school year, and this provides the students with the kind of environment that is conducive for these kinds of skills to flourish.
As a product of a faith-based high school myself, I can attest to and could not speak more highly of the benefits that these kinds of institutions can offer. Having received my secondary education from a faith-based high school changed my life. It has equipped me with the knowledge and skills that allowed me to succeed not only in college but also in my profession — and now, in my ministry as campus minister in a faith-based high school!
As I look back on my own experiences in high school, I cannot help but feel grateful to have been given that kind of opportunity. I wish every student to have that kind of opportunity as well. I would strongly encourage every student and every parent to give a faith-based education a chance.