Philosophy
     St. Elizabeth's is a coeducational, parochial school which provides a Catholic education to students who seek a learning environment in which religious truth and values are an integral part of the school program. This integration of religious truth and values with life distinguishes the Catholic school from other schools. The Catholic school strives to relate all human culture to the news of salvation, so that the light of faith will illumine the knowledge which students gradually gain of themselves and of the world.
     Through education the Church seeks to prepare its members to proclaim the good news of the Gospel and to translate this proclamation into action. Conscious of their relationship to the world community, students are encour­aged to be sensitive to the needs of others and to seek justice and peace by involving themselves in seeking creative solutions to global problems as well as to problems closer at hand.
     As an educational institution, St. Elizabeth’s strives for academic excellence and is concerned with the total development of its students. It begins with human and cultural formation but exists chiefly to help implement the threefold mission entrusted by Jesus to the Church: proclamation of the message of salvation, formation of Christian community and service to the entire human community.'
     Essential to the implementation of this philosophy are faculty members who possess the following qualifications: ability to influence students by demonstration of personal integrity and commitment to Christian values; desire to be of service to students and commitment to building community within the school setting; professional competency and openness to continuing growth through formal or informal study; willingness to strive for continual improvement of all aspects of their role as Catholic educators.
     The school, therefore, attempts to form its students in the following ways:
Spiritually: Students must be enabled to hear the message of hope contained in the Gospel, to base their love and service of God upon this message, to achieve a vital relationship with Christ² and to render service to the human community by prayer and worship and also by direct participation in the cause of social reform.
Morally: Students are endowed with a free will which must be trained in making wise and correct choices, consistent with belief in the sovereignty of God and the community of all persons in Christ. Freedom must be seen as balanced by responsibility, and obedience to just and rightful authority must be affirmed as necessary and consistent with the nature of free beings.
Individually: Students should be conscious of their dignity and worth as unique creations of God. They should be encouraged to accept their limitations, to strengthen their weak points, and to develop their talent and good points.
Socially: Community is recognized as a crucial need in today's world where natural communities of the past have been weakened by various influences. The school should therefore be a community of faith where "teachers and pupils experience together what it means to live a life of prayer, personal responsibility and freedom reflective of Gospel values."⁴ Students must be enabled to experience true faith community within the school so that they may carry the experience over in the various family, religious, social, and civic communities of which they are or will be a part. Conscious of the solidarity within the community, students must realize the obligation that each member has to contribute to the welfare of every other member of the group.
Intellectually: Students have been created as intellec­tual beings and should develop their intellects to the highest potential. Human knowledge and skills are seen as having their own worth but are "seen simultaneously as deriving their most profound significance from God's plan."⁵
Physically: Because it was created by God and is an integral part of the whole man, the body is worthy of respect and proper care. Accordingly, life-values, physical education, health programs, and courses fostering a Christian approach to human sexuality form important segments of the curriculum.
Source for footnotes: To Teach As Jesus Did. Washington, DC, United States Catholic Conference, 1973.

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