Illuminating Excellence: The Campaign for Boston College High School

Educating the whole student requires engaging their heads, hands, and hearts; strengthening their minds, bodies, and intellect; and offering physical resources that help them flourish individually and as part of a community or team. Despite a long tradition of producing stellar student-athletes, many of our facilities devoted to academic, wellness, and athletic activities suffer in comparison with those found at other schools our families consider. To fully deliver on our mission, we must make campus enhancements that embody our ethos of human excellence and support our commitment to foster ever-deeper connections among community members.

Building projects associated with the campaign reflect an emphasis on wellness in all its forms—providing opportunities for students to explore their interests while advancing their physical, intellectual, and emotional development. Having the latest equipment and resources won’t just make BC High a more competitive, attractive option: It will enable us to keep caring for students holistically in ways our current physical plant doesn’t accommodate. Funding opportunities include the following:

• Creating an Innovation Hub with state-of-the-art classrooms and collaborative environments where students work across disciplines, explore new ideas, and pursue creative projects
• Building a multiuse wellness center with athletic facilities—including a pool—that support our sports programs, along with spaces for personal enrichment activities such as yoga and meditation
• Renovating our stadium, replacing the grandstands, and adding facilities, such as a press box and a concession stand, that reflect the high caliber of our program

Thousands of Eagles have had their life trajectory shaped at BC High. Our alumni often describe how they were transformed by the commitment of an adult who believed in their potential. Those transformational opportunities are a direct result of the generosity of devoted alumni and friends who make the dream of a BC High education achievable. Our campaign will sustain that legacy of caring through increased support for scholarships and financial aid, so that we can always keep our community open to bright, bold, and dedicated students.

If our graduates are to embody Jesuit values, we need to provide a learning environment that reflects the world they will encounter in college and beyond. As one friend of the school said: “BC High isn’t a place you go to—it’s a place you go from.” Support for scholarships helps ensure that every new class includes highly motivated students from a breadth of backgrounds and perspectives who will one day enhance our global network of alumni. Increasing our scholarship resources also enables us to be more discerning in our enrollment efforts by engaging and aligning ourselves with students and families whose hopes, dreams, and hearts reflect and help advance our mission. Funding opportunities include:

• Current-use gifts and Companions scholarships that allow us to maintain a consistent level of support for today’s students
• New, city-based merit scholarships focused on diverse communities, including Boston, Brockton, Randolph, and Quincy
• Endowed scholarships that ensure long-term access and affordability by providing year-over-year support

BC High has a proud tradition of transforming promising boys into capable, caring men. To sustain our leadership in educating the whole person, we must evolve our program of student formation to reflect the world where our graduates will lead and serve. At a time when the process of helping boys become good, responsible men feels more complex and fraught than ever, we must make investments in our campus and curriculum that help students address issues related to masculinity, character, and other vital concerns through an examination of the relationship between God and self.

Using the same skills of reflection and self-assessment we teach our students, we are reassessing our curriculum to help ensure that we continue to combine a top-flight education with a life-changing formation experience. Gifts to the campaign support innovative approaches to learning and teaching that promote creative thinking and collaboration while ensuring that students are seen, known, cared for, and appropriately mentored. Campaign priorities in this area include:

• House System – We will implement a new house system that honors the spirit of cura personalis. Thoughtful investments in programs and people will strengthen these “communities within a community,” so that boys connect more deeply with the school and one another. Endowment funds that provide support for our heads of house will help us recruit and retain leaders and mentors who are committed to making a big school feel smaller. Adopting a house system will also foster a greater sense of belonging for students, help ensure that boys feel known and loved, and make the BC High experience more navigable and fulfilling.
• Centers for Human Excellence – Our centers play a pivotal role in advancing our goals around leadership, collaboration, and service. Through the campaign, we will amplify the impact of the Hyde Center for Global Education, the Shields Center for Innovation, and the Mike White ’70 Center for Emerging Leaders. We will also create and endow a Center for DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and a Center for Ignatian Mission and Identity that will advance critical aspects of our Jesuit mission.
• Curriculum Enhancement– Faculty and staff have a tremendous impact on our students’ lives. The campaign includes investments that give them the tools and encouragement they need to continue shaping those positive experiences. Endowed teaching awards and other forms of recognition will help us recruit and retain the exceptionally dedicated individuals who bring our mission to life.