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As a St. Mary’s student, I commit, on my honor, to the following values:
Best version of myself: I strive for the spiritual development of myself toward a life of prayer, service, love, personal virtue, and academic excellence. There are many virtues, and all of them are worth cultivating if I am to become the best version of myself. Aristotle calls this "Character Excellence, " which we all strive for.
Learning Empowerment: I strive for intellectual growth through study, questioning, listening, and engaging in thoughtful debate. I recognize that learning is a lifelong endeavor. I will also come to realize that we — members of this academic and faith community — are all teachers, and we are all learners.Integrity, Honesty, & Trust: Integrity is the most valued trait of members of this community. Honesty is the foundation for interactions with others. I strive to earn the trust of others. I will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those who do.
Diversity, Respect: I respect the rights and property of others. I support a community where everyone feels welcome and included. I am intolerant of the harassment of individuals or groups.
Character: I accept responsibility for my actions, acknowledge and amend my mistakes, and always try to improve.
Attitude: I am here because this is where I belong. I recognize my obligation to make a positive contribution to the community and help make this a better place.
Testing: No other person may assist, observe, or interfere with my testing. My submitted test is my work only. I will not use paper, phone, internet, or computer to give or receive assistance, and I will not discuss any test with other students in the same class before all tests are submitted.
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For mathematics, you must know how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide- integers, rational & irrational numbers, decimals & percentages. Know your times tables; know them well. Speed is essential; you should be able to answer all the fact questions within 3 seconds. Try these: 7x8, 28/7, 56-8. If you can’t, you are WAY behind. How do you get faster? Practice! Make flashcards & ask for help from parents, siblings, & good friends.
For all of your subjects, do your homework on time or ahead of time, and when you have those “wait, what?” questions, write them down & ask for help ASAP. Always pay attention to your teachers and work on your study skills. You are surrounded by people who are here to help you do your personal best. We don't expect every student to be great in every subject; we do expect every student to give their best effort and always strive to be the best version of themselves.You are extremely lucky, especially being blessed enough to attend a school like St. Mary’s, where you are loved and cared for more than you can imagine. You only have a handful of responsibilities:1) Be a good son/daughter, obey your parents & help with chores around the house.2) Be a good brother/sister/friend.3) Be the best student you can be.
1) Acknowledge your mistake.
2) Take responsibility and pay for amends if you can.
3) Think/talk about how to avoid it in the future.
Veteran teachers who have taught for more than a handful of years have had thousands of students. Teachers don’t focus on mistakes, or they don’t last long in this career. Even if you make what you think is a big mistake, teachers will not remember it unless it is habitual, rude, and blatant.
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Set your goals high and keep striving to be the best version of yourself, and you will achieve great things. We are here to help you achieve whatever you set your mind to. Parents and teachers both want their students to be successful. Kids with high goals do much better in school, and they usually get the best jobs after graduation. What is going to set you apart? Do your best, and NEVER QUIT! You can do amazing things with your life if you set your mind to it and learn to work toward a long-term goal. There are people all around you who want to help you! We can’t do it for you, though; you must persevere every day and always strive to be an excellent learner. I have heard it said many times that the only thing separating the dropout from the graduate is GRIT! The inventor of the light bulb once famously observed, “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed in life is to always try one more time.”
School only lasts a dozen years, but the way you perform in school affects the rest of your life, and the effect of doing your best now is a more rewarding life for hopefully the more significant part of a century. To succeed in life, you must take charge of yourself and your learning ASAP. The harder you work, the higher you can climb, and as you climb that “ladder of success,” you may need to ask some of your teachers for recommendation letters. Ask someone you respect to practice with you the proper way to look someone in the eyes and ask for something important, as well as the proper way to shake hands. Manners, respect, and virtue are more critical to being a success and having a happy life than many people think.Theodore Roosevelt’s famous lines comparing the “critic” to the “doer.”"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
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Here is my list of things I wish all students believed: (Truly believed in their head AND in their heart)
- I wish they knew that their singing voice is beautiful, even if they don’t think so & they feel intimidated by peers at mass.
- I wish they knew that turning off electronics and reading an actual book could bring joy and will do a lot for their future success.
- I wish they knew I don’t stop caring about and praying for them when they leave. I never feel like I’m doing enough for them.
- To be lovable, you must first love yourself.
- I wish they knew that life is about so much more than who likes you and who doesn’t. Kids get hung up on popularity/peers. I wish they knew the effort they put into the perceived popularity contest doesn’t return. I wish they knew how to focus on substantial priorities like virtue, good manners, and good grades.
- One true friend who values you & builds you up is better than a dozen shallow friends who tear you down.
- Positive peer pressure is three times more potent (and much more satisfying) than negative peer pressure!
- To have a friend, you must be a friend. - AND - A true friend is always super forgiving.
- I wish all students knew that virtue is its own reward and that there is more to education than sitting in a classroom.
- I wish all students knew that while school and qualifications matter a lot, they are merely doors into our future: the important accomplishments all lay ahead. I wish they would seize every opportunity now – in and beyond the classroom – to develop skills, qualities, and knowledge for the big adventure - life.
- I wish they knew that school is not a battle. We’re not trying to win against you – and if there is any battle metaphor, we’re on your side. There is a perception that kids get from cartoons/TV and urban myth that they’re in a battle against their teacher. It can lead to a sense that if a teacher asks you to do something, they’re accusing you or trying to “get” you. There’s often an automatic victim mentality. If you are asked to stop talking, this is not “yelling at you.” It is just a short way to ask you to show the teacher and the class respect.
- I wish all students knew that we want them to think for themselves. Over the years, changes to the school and exam system have allowed students and parents to increasingly see education as a commodity teachers should provide. Education is not received; it is achieved. In fact, authentic teaching happens when teachers force students to get stuck after giving them the tools and strategies to problem-solve.
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Dear Parents
My name is Sean Allen Warfield. My wife Kimberly and I have been together since 1989, and we are the proud parents of three adult children who are graduates of Catholic schools. I have been an educator since 1992, in public and Catholic Education.
Saint John Paul II said, "Every generation, with its own mentality and characteristics, is like a new continent to be won for Christ." We must partner to prepare kids to face the world with a blueprint for moral living that they can understand and apply to life's hard questions. Ignoring it is not an option; if we're not teaching them how to understand tough moral issues, the secular world will. The St. Mary's Way is to reclaim the next generation for the Lord by modeling and expecting virtue. Please read my note to the students and hit all four tabs above to better understand why my vocāre (calling) is a ministry in education.Dear Students,
Our best students will know (in their heads and their hearts) all four of the tabs above:
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Mr. Warfield's Blog
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May 19Dear St. Mary’s Family, As we near the close of another school year, we want to take a moment to reflect with gratitude on the many blessings and accomplishments we have experienced together as a school community. This year has been filled with growth, opportunity, and success for our students. Academically, we celebrated an outstanding showing in PSIA, with many of our students advancing as state finalists and representing St. Mary’s with excellence. Our Robotics program started with a robot that competed in a district competition against other middle and high schools, and we were excited to further expand opportunities by adding a middle school Robotics/Engineering elective. In the arts, our students shone through several outstanding Theatre productions that showcased their creativity, confidence, and talent. Our athletic teams achieved success both on and off the field, demonstrating discipline, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Our students also continued to grow in faith and community. The Catechetical Choir enriched our liturgies and school events throughout the year, while retreats and educational field trips provided meaningful opportunities for spiritual growth, leadership, fellowship, and discovery. One of the most visible and meaningful additions to campus this year was ...Read More
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