FROM THE PRESIDENT
St. Ignatius Loyola believed that ingratitude was among the most serious sins we could commit. The converse of this belief is that gratitude is among the greatest virtues, habits, and attitudes we can practice, develop, and cultivate.
The Examen is the great tool and resource that Ignatius left for us to deepen our gratitude. It invites us each day to review our experiences to find signs of God’ s blessing, grace, and goodness. One could approach the pages which follow in this issue of Ramview as data for a year-long Examen. These pages contain reasons for my gratitude to God who has inspired in you such marvelous generosity and commitment to advance the mission of Fordham Prep.
Here are some of the ways in which this generosity has impacted our mission just this year alone:
• We launched our iSTEAM( Science; Technology; Engineering; Arts; Mathematics) program. In addition to our traditional commitment in the humanities to teach students how to read and think critically, and write and communicate with clarity and force, iSTEAM helps them develop 21st Century learning skills to excel in college and prepare for the rapidly changing needs of today’ s workforce.
• We progressed to the next phase of building a new east wing that brings our facilities up to the standard of excellence to which our faculty aspire in their classroom teaching.
• Avoiding the socio-economic barbell that increasingly characterizes enrollment at so many independent schools, we doubled the number of middle income students who receive tuition assistance, making it possible for them to enroll at Fordham Prep.
• We sent dozens of students across the globe to participate in academic exchanges at other Jesuit schools and in cultural immersion and scientific research programs.
• We supported several faculty members to attend professional development programs in their academic fields and to deepen their understanding of the Spiritual Exercises and Ignatian pedagogy.
• We provided funding for students with financial need to attend retreats, play a musical instrument in our jazz band, perform on the stage of the Leonard Theatre, travel on field trips, and participate on sports teams.
Please accept my profound gratitude to you and my thanks for your generosity. You have made an extraordinary difference in the lives of individual students and in the Fordham Prep community which serves them.
Christopher J. Devron, SJ President
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