They Made All the Difference

A five-hundred-year-old vision guides today's Jesuit high schools to succeed at everything from football to finding God in all things.

At a time when so many public and private school systems are burdened with woes, Jesuit high schools are thriving. Enrollments, budgets, and endowments are growing, alumni support is strong, and the schools enjoy an impressive reputation for academic and athletic excellence. Jesuit educators are even taking bold steps to develop new schools to serve poor and disadvantaged students.
What explains this success? Eileen Wirth, a university professor and parent of a Jesuit high school student, shows how the answer is rooted in a compelling educational vision that dates back nearly five hundred years, to the earliest days of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the Society of Jesus. This vision, marked by acute sensitivity to the individual, a fierce commitment to excellence, a concern for the poor, and a spirituality that prizes self-knowledge and flexibility, animates each school's academics, discipline, athletics, student life, and spiritual dimension.
Throughout the book, Wirth shows how this grand vision is embodied in people. Readers are introduced to a Hall of Fame of individuals who make Jesuit high schools so great: teachers, chaplains, disciplinarians, coaches, parents, and students. The book ends with short biographies of notable Jesuit alumni (including singer/actor Harry Connick Jr. and journalist Tim Russert) and a profile of each Jesuit high school.

Eileen Wirth is a professor of journalism and mass communications at Creighton University. She worked for many years as a newspaper reporter and as a corporate public relations executive. She has written four books and numerous articles for national publications.