Pride is one of the seven deadly sins.  In fact, it’s the first one that’s listed, and according to the way we’ve been trained to think, the first is always the most important one.  That’s a fallacy, by the way.  The first thing listed is usually just the first thing listed.

But how can we reconcile this with what we’ve come to know as “School Pride?”  Don’t we take pride in the accomplishments of our children, and aren’t we proud of our school students when they win a championship, put on a wonderful performance of their Spring Musical, or score at significantly high levels on their SATs?

The difference is in focus.  Is the focus directed inwardly, or is it outward?  Are we proud of “the school,” or are we proud of what the school provides for its students?  When you showcase your school’s remarkable differences, the intent is not to put the focus on the school itself, but what the school does for the students enrolled in it.

It’s just like a slogan and a motto.  A slogan is an “inward” focus on the school.  The focus is on the school itself, and is used as a marketing tool to make people aware of the school.  The school’s motto, on the other hand, focuses on what the school does, and the students which it produces.  It’s an “outward” focus.  Interestingly, perhaps the two should be reversed, since the slogan is communicated outwardly, and the motto is an inward focus on who the students of the school become because of their experience.

This isn’t to say that a slogan shouldn’t be created and utilized effectively.  After all, marketing is a business practice, and there is a need to bring interested students and their parents to the school to investigate its educational environment.  However, once they’re a part of the school community, the focus should shift to the school’s motto, so that the actions of the school can be measured against it.

Let’s unpack this a little, with a look at two Catholic high schools in Pittsburgh.

Seton LaSalle High School in Pittsburgh, PA had a slogan (or tag line) that harkened back to when the building housed South Hills Catholic High School – “The South Hills’ Catholic High School.”  It also has a motto, In Fide et Caritate (or “In Faith and Charity”).  The slogan is a way to attract students to the charisms within the education environment, but as the students advance as members of the student body, they can measure their progress toward the ideals as expressed in the school’s motto, since he other school that was merged with South Hills Catholic was Elizabeth Seton High School, and was staffed by the Sisters of Charity.  Is everything students do done “In faith and charity?”  After they graduate, will their actions be “In faith and charity?”

Similarly, Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, PA has a slogan which appears on their Web site: Men of Faith, Men of Scholarship, Men of Service.  These words can serve to attract young men who want to be formed in this particular way to live out their baptismal call to holiness.  As they progress through the school, those engaged with the school and eventually graduate can measure their actions against the school’s motto: Pro Deo et Patria (“For God and Country”).  Just as above, is everything students do done “For God and country?”  After they graduate, will their actions be “For God and country?”

What about your school?  Does your school’s student body and its graduates embody the meaning of your schools motto?

© Michael V. Ziemski, SchoolAdvancement, 2007-2022 (Original Publication Date: 20170327)