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Letter from the Principal
Holiday Blessings!
It is my sincere hope that you and your loved ones are doing well during this joyous time of the year. For people of faith the Advent
Season marks the beginning of our Liturgical Calendar, and what an appropriate beginning it is in so many ways. During this Season of
Hope and Love we prepare ourselves each year for Christ’s coming. In essence, we celebrate the Incarnation and we prepare for that
time when Christ will come again.
I am hopeful that everyone in the Saint Francis DeSales High School community takes the time amidst all of the chaos and
commercialization of the Holidays to listen to God’s voice. I believe the following quote by his Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in his recent
Angelus address captures the very essence of what we are called to do:
TheVirgin Mary perfectly embodies the spirit of Advent, which consists of listening to God, a profound desire to do His will, and joyful
service to others. Let us be guided by her, so that God who is coming may not find us closed or distracted, but might extend to each of
us a small part of His kingdom of love, of justice, and of peace.
In these beautiful words the Holy See calls each of us to follow the example of our Blessed Mother to do God’s will by serving others.
As the leader of this wonderful school I am proud to say that I believe our community has been largely successful in our efforts to follow
the lead of Mary when it comes to service. It is very empowering for me to be able to reference our strong tradition in this area when I
address our current students.
It is with this in mind that I pray for your continued support to this wonderful school as we prepare to embark on a very dynamic and
exciting time in our history-the execution of our Strategic Plan. This plan has been several years in the making and has been formulated
on thoughtful and deliberate input of our school’s stakeholders, namely: Our Students, Faculty,Alumni, Past Parents, Feeder School
Pastors and Principals, and finally, our Community Leaders.
I would encourage you to read the information contained in this publication regarding the initial steps we plan to take as we work
to further solidify the position of Saint Francis DeSales High School as a leader in Catholic education in the state of Ohio and in our
country. The Road to 2020 will provide wonderful opportunities to build upon our academic excellence while introducing many new
opportunities for growth.
I am confident that with your assistance and God’s abundant grace Saint Francis DeSales High School will be able to successfully achieve
the goals outlined in our 2020Vision and in so doing we will continue to deliver on our primary mission to deliver a quality Catholic
education for our students.
I would also like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to our students on their outstanding efforts during the first semester.
It has been tremendously gratifying to witness our students enthusiastically embrace the various challenges associated with an academic
journey. If you recall from earlier communication pieces the theme for this academic year is “Stallions United.” In essence, through this
theme we have challenged our young people to be unified in all that we endeavor to do. By working together and placing our faith in
Christ all things are possible.
I am happy to report that based on the quality of the students’ work in their curricular, co-curricular and faith-life endeavors the
students have demonstrated a thorough understanding of what it means to be “United.” Whether it is mastering new academic content,
making the state tournament in Girls Soccer,Tennis, andVolleyball, or collecting 20,000 cans, the students of Saint Francis DeSales High
School have proudly built on the legacy of togetherness which has long been associated with our school.And for that I am both grateful
and proud.
On behalf of the students, faculty, staff and administration please know that we offer a daily prayer of thanksgiving for you, our parents,
alumni, and benefactors. We have been blessed by your continued generosity and kindness. May you find peace in the knowledge that
your model of faith and compassion provides a tremendous source of inspiration for our young adults.
In closing, as our school community takes the initial steps associated with our strategic plan, we ask for your prayers and support so that
we can continue to meet our school’s mission to educate young people in an authentically Catholic environment.
Peace and God’s Blessings for a healthy and happy 2013,
Daniel J. Garrick ’79
Principal
“May the great yet small infant of Bethlehem be the
delight and love of our heart !”
~St. Francis DeSales
The Mighty Pen 1