CHRISTIAN BROTHERS HIGH SCHOOL • ENTER TO LEARN, LEAVE TO SERVE
FALCON FAMILY NEWS “Young people need good teachers, like visible angels.” St. John Baptist de La Salle Dear Families: Good teachers, like visible angels...I love this imagery from the Founder, and it resonates deeply for me this time of year as I reflect on our Christian Brothers High School community. Each day on campus, I have the blessing of seeing our visible angels - teachers, staff, coaches, and administrators – minister to our students as they guide them in finding and fostering their God-given gifts. Each day, I see our students happily move about campus, secure and safe, in a community where they are seen and nurtured. I credit much of this to our Lasallian Catholic charism and our core principles of faith, quality education, respect, inclusivity, and concern for the poor and social justice. Put simply, relationships are at the heart of all that we do. Interestingly, results of an 85-year study out of Harvard point to the number one thing that makes us happier, healthier, and helps us live longer – positive relationships. Just as St. John Baptist de La Salle recognized that relationships were essential in reaching the hearts and minds of the students entrusted to our care, I believe it is our continued emphasis on relationships that allows Lasallian education to thrive today, more than 300 years after the Founder’s passing, in 80 countries educating nearly 1 million students.
A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT
Lasallian communities are not the result of luck or happenstance, rather they exist thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the Christian Brothers in sharing their mission, vision, and values. The District of San Francisco New Orleans has invested extensive human and financial resources over the last thirty years to provide Lasallian formation opportunities to trustees, faculty, and staff. The CB community includes a number of Lasallian Leadership Institute and Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies graduates who have benefitted from these multi-year training programs. Other faculty members and staff have participated in Lasallian formation activities nationally and abroad. Our communities thrive as places of belonging, and we know that faith and spirituality, rooted in the Gospel, address the need for this. Opportunities to build supportive relationships of faith and spirituality can help lead our young people to a feeling of purpose, meaning, hope, and ultimately happiness. As such, the District of San Francisco New Orleans has developed a four-year action plan that focuses on three primary areas of action: belonging, formation, and sustainability. Each of these areas is featured in our own strategic plan – A Vision for our Future, with belonging as a key endeavor. Our call to cultivate and sustain a sense of belonging embodies how we as Lasallian view ourselves as brothers and sisters to one another and older brothers and sisters, visible angels, to the students whom God has entrusted to our care. To that end, I am pleased to share that we have expanded the role of Ms. Melissa Flowers, who will be serving as Director of Athletics, School Culture and Belonging, and have welcomed back Ms. Lauren Adams ’14 who takes on the role of School Culture and Belonging Coordinator. These two phenomenal professionals will be working closely with our Lasallian Student Life Office, Counseling and Wellness Departments, school administration, families, and ultimately our students to ensure that CB is truly the place to be and the place to belong! In that spirit, I wish you all a blessed and merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Live Jesus in our hearts!
Crystal LeRoy, Ed.D. President
Falcon Family News | December 2023
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