September 2024 - David Holquin, President

Dear De La Salle Community:

The 2024-2025 school year is in full swing, with the usual sundry activities, laughter in the hallway, and the hope that young people bring. The energy of our students is truly infectious, and being around them only strengthens my confidence that a brighter future lies ahead. Like you, our goal is for each school year to be better than the previous one, and we appreciate your partnership in making it so. 

Developing Leaders
At the beginning of the school year, we discussed our resolute focus on developing our young people into leaders who act with integrity and challenge themselves to be, as Jaz Ampaw Farr said during her keynote at the International Boys School Coalition conference, 10% braver. That doesn’t mean they have to leap over tall buildings, but rather be ordinary heroes who do the ordinary in extraordinary ways. Simple acts like making eye contact during a handshake, holding the door open, saying please and thank you, and trusting that struggle builds strength are all steps in shaping young men into true leaders. We also appreciate you reinforcing this message through your actions and words. Our founder, St. John Baptist de La Salle, was prescient when he shared, “The way you behave should be a model for those you teach.” (Med 132.1 - on St Norbert).

Community Commitments
If you watched our Back to School Night video, you will recall we shared our joint work with Carondelet High School regarding our Shared Community Commitments. These seven principles remind us of our opportunity to learn from and be in community with one another. As our nation approaches the presidential election in November, it’s an opportune time to remind ourselves that, despite the potential for toxicity and polarization in the media and on social media platforms, we, as a Lasallian Catholic community, hold dear the belief that 'unity in community is a precious gem' (De La Salle, Med. 91.2).

In particular, we must remember that we are an Inclusive Community in which we acknowledge, respect, and embrace our diversity, as well as each other’s unique stories, attributes, and abilities. These are sacred aspects of the Body of Christ to which we belong. To that end, rather than call each other out and demonstrate division, we must call each other in and demonstrate our inherent connectedness. This sounds simple, but simple isn’t easy, and each of us must be committed to building the community we seek in word and deed. 

Made For Each Other
Our theme among our faculty and staff is, “Made For Each Other,” a reminder from the book of Genesis. While our students had the day off from class, our faculty and staff gathered together for our annual start-of-school retreat. I was stunned by the sharing in groups, our building puzzles together to signify how if there is a missing piece the puzzle is not complete, and the different ways that Ms. Stevenson, Mr. Colon, and Ms. Thomas wove in our theme through their talks. While we have an annual theme, it isn’t customarily discussed, yet I thought it was good for you to know that if excellence and community happen on purpose, so does mission. We never forget that. Our Lasallian Catholic mission remains our school’s vibrant heartbeat and life source. 

Advancing our Strategic Plan
Completed and shared in 2023, our Strategic Plan: Our Pathway to Our Future continues to breathe life into our campus through curricular advances, campus facility upgrades made possible by supportive philanthropic donors, and developing leaders who help build the Kingdom of God through their actions and impact. I look forward to sharing more about our progress in the coming weeks. We take our responsibility seriously to educate your sons into Men of Faith, Integrity, and Scholarship. 

De La Salle Goes Global
While many of you are already aware, our football team is headed to London in October for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Through shared commitment and with the support of Nike and the NFL, De La Salle gets to go global. And while this feat is significant in its own right, it furthers De La Salle’s vision “to be a global leader in educating young men.” Likewise, we are planning a trip to Japan and other countries in the future. I have heard this said about another spectacular Catholic school, so I will not steal it entirely, but De La Salle is a place small enough to know you by name but large enough to show you the world! We will continue to help our young men understand their role as leaders, learners, and doers in a world that needs them. 

Finally, as always, please consult our calendar for upcoming events. This monthly Spartan Spotlight, our weekly At a Glance for parents and students, and our social media channels are always filled with information. There are lots of activities that happen every day on campus, and we want you to experience all that you can.

Thank you for your partnership and giving us your most precious gift to the world: your child. Welcome to another great year at the home of the Spartans!

Warmly yours,

David J. Holquin
President