(267) Jesuit education should aim to develop women and men of conscience, compassion, commitment and competence.

(272) Our traditional emphasis on academic excellence should not be neglected. It allows our schools to fulfill one of its fundamental social roles and allows them to enter in dialogue with the larger society about the meaning of quality education. Yet, in our schools this endeavor must be framed within the context of human excellence. – Global Identifier #9
(260) The schools must actively combat racism in all of its forms.
A Call to Human Excellence

Inspired by the contributions of his three immediate predecessors, Fr. Arturo Sosa, S.J, in 2014 promulgated the document, Jesuit Education Aims to Human Excellence, in which he affirmed the purpose of Jesuit education as “developing women and men of conscience, compassion, commitment and competence.” Like Frs. Pedro Arrupe, Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, and Adolfo Nicolás before him, Fr. Sosa called school communities to:

  • a conscience that knows and experiences society and its imbalances
  • a compassion for the suffering of others
  • a commitment of faith that works for transformation 
  • a competence that creates, understands and uses knowledge to live in one’s own context
In addition to building on his predecessors’ insights, Fr. Sosa also invited the global Network to develop resources that help schools “become excellent in humanizing their communities.” Inspired by this invitation, the Jesuit Schools Network recently produced An Ignatian Framework for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.
Grounded in scripture, Catholic social teaching, the documents of the Society of Jesus, and the tradition of Jesuit education, the Framework intends to help school leaders and their communities understand and address the injustices of racism through the precious gift of our Catholic identity and Jesuit mission. 

The process of developing the Framework included listening to the voices of theologians, school leaders, and especially of those in our schools who are charged with this vital part of our mission and identity. Along the way, we heard numerous expressions of support and gratitude for our work. We also heard challenges to further promote the kind of human excellence to which Fr. Sosa and his predecessors are calling us by strengthening our DEIB efforts. We at JSN look forward to further experiencing with you the “great love our Father has for all of us” by advancing this aspect of human excellence.
Attend the Virtual Coffee Shop for JSN's DEIB Leaders and Mission & Identity Leaders
On Wednesday, November 29 from 3 to 4 p.m. ET, Catharine Steffens, JSN's Director of Global Partnerships and Initiatives, will lead a Virtual Coffee Shop on our new Ignatian Framework for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Click here or visit www.jesuitschoolsnetwork.org/vcs to join the session via Microsoft Teams.
(262) Grounded in the principle of cura personalis, the care of the individual, the school must value the dignity and worth of each
of its members.
Share your Experience of Inclusive Leadership at Jesuit Schools

Please consider contributing to Katie McCann's doctoral research on inclusive leadership at Jesuit high schools by anonymously sharing your own experience of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in this brief survey. The survey is completely optional, should take about 10 minutes to complete, and you can stop at any time if you decide not to participate. Thank you for sharing your valuable lived experiences and encouraging your colleagues to as well!
(267) Jesuit education should aim to develop women and men of conscience, compassion, commitment and competence.
Why Centers of Human Excellence?

The Centers of Human Excellence provide a way forward for the school to define human excellence in our Jesuit context. They will help our students most fully grow into men of competence, conscience, compassion, and commitment. Our Centers of Human Excellence continue to transform the educational experience of our students, particularly through the new course designations as our students strive to become scholars in a designation.
 
This year, nearly 40 courses have been designated as being within the sphere of one of the five Centers. These courses embody and explore the work of the Centers, and often feature programmatic experiences that bring classroom work out into the real world. For example, If a student takes a number of Innovation-designated classes, he will be specially identified as an Innovation Scholar on his BC High transcript. If a student completes one designated class from each Center, and completes an intensive research project, they will be identified as a Centers of Human Excellence Scholar. This special designation marks the student as someone who truly serves as a paragon for what it means to be Jesuit-educated as a spiritual person, a leader, an innovator, a champion for equity, and a global citizen.
(258) All Jesuit schools should be excellent in humanizing their communities. Helping the students and the staff to deepen their empathy and their lasting bonds of friendship.
Pórtate Bonito Campaign at Colegio de San Ignacio de Loyola

Students at Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola in San Juan, Puerto Rico show their commitment to developing human excellence in the Pórtate Bonito campaign. This campaign is a call for action for all ignacianos to embody and protect the shared values of fraternity, respect, compassion, empathy, and responsibility. Pórtate Bonito is both the title of the campaign and song that served to launch this initiative presented by students and faculty of the school’s Solidarity Committee and the student newspaper El Ignaciano. The song was composed by students using the beat of reggaeton music and rhyming words that invite to a way of proceeding of good behavior by being men for others. Daily morning announcements through the school intercom encourage students to engage in behavior that reflects our common values and promotes a safe learning community. This student campaign has inspired additional initiatives to raise awareness for the shared responsibility to care for others and the environment. 
Lyrics to Pórtate Bonito (in Spanish): 
Ye ye ye ye, Ignaciano, pórtate bonito, pórtate bonito, pórtate bonito, pórtate bonito 
Dale Coopera, ye, que si no un problema te espera 
Honra a la bandera 
Tus acciones sean sinceras 
Tu No te busques un dilema 
No te apuntes en lo que no aporte 
Y defiende tus valores, como norte 
tus principios, que te den soporte 
Que este sea tu primer deporte 

Ignaciano, pórtate bonito, pórtate bonito, pórtate bonito, pórtate bonito 
Y te lo aviso de antemano 
Pa’ que no se te pase de mano 
Y respetes a tu hermano 
Sé buen ignaciano  
Y mejor cristiano 
Crear un ambiente sano 
Ignaciano, pórtate bonito, pórtate bonito, pórtate bonito, pórtate bonito 
Sé un hombre al servicio de los demás 
No pongas de baja el nombre del colegio, jamás 
Sé un ignaciano de fraternidad, de integridad 
De respeto y amor concreto 
Crea en ti esa identidad 
 
Ignaciano, pórtate bonito, pórtate bonito 
Ignaciano, pórtate bonito, pórtate bonito 
(255) It is important for our institutions to be spaces for educational investigation, true laboratories in innovation in teaching, from which we can draw new teaching methods or models.
Watch JSN's Latest Virtual Ignatian Inquiry Session on AI
The future is changing in front of us. Where will our classrooms be in one year? The evolution of Artificial Intelligence has the potential to transform education, influencing the role of educators in ways big and small. Our charge as educators is to accompany students in their learning journey. How do we best do this in a constantly changing landscape? 

In our recent Virtual Inquiry Session titled, Reimagining the Role of a Teacher with Adaptability and Purpose: Reflections from a Faculty Member Energized by AI, speaker Spencer Wagner, Mathematics & Computer Science Teacher at Regis Jesuit High School (Aurora, CO), explored the topic from the perspective of who has worked extensively on adapting to AI in his role as a teacher and in working with his students as well as faculty colleagues. Click here to watch the recording or view it below.
(259) Jesuit schools should teach about the dignity of women,
who are full and equal partners in all endeavors.
JSN's Symposia Promote Human Excellence
In an effort to gather Jesuit educators from around the Network to engage in conversations that are relevant to the work of our member schools, the JSN offers virtual symposia on timely issues of the day. Our two most recent symposia from 2022 and 2023 promote the Human Excellence as they discuss the Power of Women in Jesuit Education and Academic Rigor in Jesuit Education. Watch recordings of the two symposia below.
(257) Our institutions need to be aware of the anthropological and cultural change we’re experiencing, and they need to know how to educate and train in a new way for a different future. [65]
Enhancing Interculturality at Prep

Several of our colleagues participated in the JSN's Intercultural Communications Master Class last summer. The experience has called us to enhance interculturality at the Prep, and strengthen our connection to the global network of Jesuit Schools. In the document Jesuit Schools, A Living Tradition in the 21st Century, global identifier three affirms that Jesuit Schools are committed to Global citizenship, and that our schools should include conversational skills in foreign languages, partnerships between schools across the globe, collaborative programs among schools to examine global issues and initiation of joint projects. 
As a focus for department leaders in our academic council, we are seeking and creating connections with educators from around the world, and have volunteered to leverage the "connected classroom" capability of Educate Magis. We realize that not all students will be able to participate in our exchange programs that involve international, so leveraging the Network and existing teleconferencing technologies will bring more access to global and intercultural experiential learning to our students, faculty, and staff. 
Register for JSN's Global Perspectives Leaders Ignatian Colleagues Gathering
From March 12-15, JSN is hosting a Global Perspectives Leaders ICG in Cincinnati, OH. The gathering is an opportunity for those engaged in this interconnected work to gather together, to share their unique “perspectives for mission,” and to seek integration with one another, in one shared mission. 

We invite schools to send “mini-teams” of 2-3 colleagues responsible for efforts such as DEIB, ecological justice, reconciliation-service-and-justice, interculturality, and staff formation. By fostering deeper connection with one another, we hope to build a more integrated global mission from among those engaged in globally-minded leadership roles in JSN schools. We ultimately hope each small team will return home and share this learning with their respective communities. Click here or the button below to learn more and register.
FROM OUR PARTNERS
JRS Inclusive Education Program
At Jesuit Refugee Service, we believe in the transformative power of education. We are committed to ensuring that refugees, regardless of their abilities or disabilities, have the opportunity to receive an education that paves the way for a brighter, more inclusive future. Our Inclusive Education Program for Refugees stands as a testament to our dedication.

Inclusive education is not just a goal; it’s a fundamental right. Refugees, including those with disabilities, should have equal access to quality education that empowers them to reach their full potential. Inclusive education embraces diversity and ensures that no one is left behind. You can learn more about our inclusive education program at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya.

And if you want to participate by unlocking potential through Inclusive Education for Refugees, join our Giving Tuesday campaign.
UMI Women's Advent Retreat
In the Spiritual Exercises, we are challenged to attend to the movements in our soul. Feelings offer direction. Feelings over time begin to prompt us to God’s movement. This Advent season, our world seems to hold its breath… we await the Christ Child in possibility and potential: of peace/war, of hope/loss, of love/fear. 

Our 2023 Women’s Advent Retreat focuses our prayer life at a time in the liturgical calendar when we hold endings and beginnings. Every week you will receive a reflection based on the Sunday Advent Gospel. The reflectors are women from various Midwest Jesuit schools, sharing their prayer and insights into our shared mission. We pray together in our tensions, feelings, questions … and listen. And pray for the interior freedom to begin to move. 

If you would like to sign up for this personal retreat - please enter your email on the form here. Feel free to share this link with others in your circles – regardless of gender - inside our network or outside. All are welcome. You will receive a reflection every Sunday of Advent, beginning with an introduction on November 26.

Contact Jen LaMaster, Associate Provincial Assistant for Secondary and Pre-Secondary Schools Midwest Province, at jlamaster@jesuits.org with any questions.
Literature Through an Ignatian Lens: A Three-Week Workshop on Reading and Writing as Spiritual Practices
In January, the JCCU's Jesuit Media Lab is sponsoring a three-week workshop on literature through an Ignatian Lens. In the workshop, participants will approach the written word, both in reading and in writing, through the richness of the Ignatian spiritual tradition, which calls us to find God in all things, to celebrate the intimate details of life and language, and to engage our imaginations in our creative and spiritual practices. The course is $60 and limited to 15 students – a limited number of spots remain. Click here to learn more and register.
FROM EDUCATE MAGIS
Pre-Registration is Open For Educate Magis Global Groups Spring Courses

Pre-registration is now open for the Educate Magis Global Groups Courses starting in April 2024! Jesuit educators can choose to engage in online courses on Four Key Practices in Ignatian Spirituality and Ignatian Global Citizenship. These courses offer a synchronous global learning experience, facilitated by experienced Ignatian educators. Upon successful completion, participants receive a Certificate of Completion. Click here or the button below to learn more about the courses and pre-register.
CLOSING PRAYER