The 2021-2022 Academic Year is Underway

This past weekend, the Church celebrated the Feast of St. Augustine on August 28 and the Feast of St. Monica, Augustine’s mother, on August 27.  These feast days have a special place in the Austin Prep community, a community that treasures our Augustinian heritage.  The feast days are also an annual reminder that the next academic year is about to begin.  The faculty and staff returned to campus last week, our summer projects are complete, the floors have been shined, and we look forward to welcoming students back to campus.

Following the release of the summer edition of Journey magazine, I received an email from an Austin Prep alumnus.  He wrote:

As I was reading the latest Journey article on Austin Prep’s response to Covid, I was amazed at the level of depth and detail to comprehensive actions.  While you and your team provided frequent updates on plans, challenges and solutions, it was hard to fully gain an understanding of all the activity until reading the summary article [in Journey]. The Austin Prep staff and entire community’s response to the generational challenge of Covid significantly raises the bar on dedication and commitment.  Against a backdrop of most schools and organizations saying we “can’t,” Austin Prep’s [leadership, faculty, and staff] continued to find ways to pursue mission … safely with optimism in a dark external environment.

 Austin Prep’s response to Covid should be documented as a full case study.  The value to educators, administrators and business leaders will be significant.  I’d expect [a graduate business school] to be interested in developing a case study on Austin Prep’s response.  I think it’s important to share Austin’s story … you may consider Ted Talk as well …Just a thought … thanks for [Austin Prep’s] innovative and inspiring leadership…

Undeniably, it was a terrific note to receive after a very challenging year.  What I appreciated most was the reference to mission.  Mission is the compass that will always chart our Journey – one that the faculty and staff travel with your children every step of the way, it’s the anchor to Truth (with a capital T), and it’s the prism through which we discern the unwritten curriculum. 

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We begin the 2021-2022 school year with a full house.  I’m as optimistic as ever about the future of Austin Prep and will continue to work energetically to enrich the legacy entrusted to me as head of school.  Our focus on mission is an important part of the extraordinary work this community does every day to “inspire hearts to unite, minds to inquire, and hands to serve” and the mission of Austin Prep – manifested in the Augustinian values of veritas, unitas, and caritas – will light the way.