Following Jesus and Striving for Excellence Since 1883!
SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST SCHOOL
About St. John School
“Following Jesus and Striving for Excellence Since 1883!”
This powerful motto epitomizes everything that we do at St. John School in Canton. It represents the heart and soul of our school community. Journey with us as we explore its meaning.
Following Jesus
At St. John School, following Jesus means loving all and serving others. The love that we give to each child is deeply rooted in Catholicism, but goes beyond faith and religion. In the Catholic Church, we know about love. We know that God is love. We know that Jesus told us the greatest commandment was to love God and one another. We also know what love produces. Mother (Saint) Theresa told us that the fruit of love is service.
Love and service are universal. There is a great poet and advocate for children named Marian Wright Edelman. She has a very simple statement that encompasses our values:
I care and am willing to serve.
At St. John School, we care and are willing to serve. This service comes from our great love. Love and service radiate from all of our community members – teachers, staff, students, and parents.
Our students experience great love at St. John School and it is great love we expect them to give to others throughout their lives.
This means treating everyone with love and respect at all times.
This means caring and loving their fellow classmates.
This means fostering a love of learning and curiosity.
This also means giving great love to all throughout their lives. We believe that the impact that St. John School has on students does not end when they leave this building.
Since 1883
At St. John School, we have great tradition. We have educated children for over 125 years! The legacy of the Sisters of Notre Dame and the Sisters of St. Joseph shines through and established a bedrock foundation. The St. John the Evangelist Parish has continued to support this mission as well.
The world has changed since 1883, but St. John School has stood strong. It has adapted to a changing world but stayed true to itself and its beginnings. If you want tradition, St. John School has it.
!
We cannot leave out the exclamation point. It completes our mission. We do not do this passively. We do things with passion and enthusiasm. It is evident in the smiles on the faces of children, in the enthusiastic voices of teachers, and in the high expectations of parents.
People come to St. John School for many reasons, but they stay because of who we are. We are a community of believers – believers in this community of love, this community of service, this community of growth, this community of excellence, this community of tradition, and this community of passion.
Come join us in, Following Jesus and Striving for Excellence Since 1883!
Striving for
To strive means to make great or strenuous efforts to achieve something. Striving for means that we are not there yet. Striving for means that we must continue to grow. We grow taller, we grow smarter, we grow in love, we grow in excellence.
At St. John, we are centered on the idea of growth. Growth for everyone – students, teachers, staff, parents. In order to grow, students must work hard and at St. John, we celebrate both achievement and effort.
This creates children and young adults who are resilient – who can pick themselves up after failing or getting knocked down. They strive for the best they can be. They are creative and innovative.
At St. John, all that we ask of our students is everything that they have to give. This is striving for. This is grit - the latest buzzword you may have heard in education. We want our students to be gritty – to work hard and continue to persevere.
Excellence
Excellence is the result of Following Jesus and Striving for. It is a powerful word and evokes a myriad of emotions and pictures. It is Albert Einstein and e=mc2, it is Yo-Yo Ma on the cello, it is David Ortiz at bat. It was Mother (Saint) Theresa and her works of mercy.
In our mind, excellence and Catholic are synonymous and at St. John School, this is true.
We can talk about our excellent test scores. We can talk about our academic rigor. We can talk about our philosophy of educating the whole child. We can talk about our service. The expectation at St. John is that excellence permeates everything that we do and excellence guides how we lead our lives when we leave.