I had the chance to go to both Public and Catholic high school, there are many differences between each of them, although many people might say one is better than the other, I believe that is all about the student and where they feel more comfortable. I started my High School experience in a public school and for the first two years it worked out perfectly for me but at the beginning of my third year I decided to change to a Catholic school. Here are five things that made the biggest difference between the two schools.
Community involvement is big in Catholic schools, at least in mine it is. This is something I love, giving back to those in need, it is the most gratifying feeling one can have. At St.Pius X there are numerous events which go on throughout the school year in order to give to those who are less fortunate, or to help local charities and programs. For example, St.Pius holds the annual Terry Fox run to raise money for cancer research and to spread awareness about the disease, the canned food drive and Christmas hampers where students bring in canned goods and items for those who are less fortunate in our school community. I believe this to be a positive factor not only for our community but also for the students at Catholic schools.
As high school students we go through ups and downs and a support system can really make a difference in a teenager's life. The Catholic board has an amazing support system for students who need help not only in the academic aspect of school but also in the mental and spiritual one. At St. Pius X, we are very lucky to have Richie to talk to when we need spiritual guidance, he is always ready to listen and pray for us and give us the best advice. Although the public school board also had guidance counselors, in my experience the Catholic board counselors look out for our best interests and advise us in our choices. They get to know us and help us feel comfortable with our choices. In the public board they are more concerned with having enough credits to graduate and get into university.
Catholic Schools are more of a community, school, church and family should come together for the benefit of the student and to have a more rounded and guided education. Throughout the school we have different liturgies that help us come together as a community and help students have stronger bonds, and support one another. In my first two years of high school, when I attended a public school the assemblies all related to school nothing spiritual. This makes students stick to the friends they already have and not get involved and help those who they are not familiar with. At St. Pius X, we always have a Liturgie at the beginning of the school year, this helps students put their school year in God’s hands and to ask for a better understanding and guidance in their classes. Throughout the school year we are lead in prayer every morning and we also finish the day with another one, I believe this helps set a good tone everyday and it reminds us that God is with us at all moment and if we ever need better sight of our day to day we can go to the Chapel, kneel down and communicate with God.
Values are taught by all the teachers and have a place in every classroom, in Catholic schools values are taught to students as universal ones and every teacher implements them in their classes throughout the school year. In public schools teachers don't touch on the subject because it may infringe on someone’s rights. They treat values as different for each person. I believe, as a religious person, that teaching students the principal values throughout their high school experience benefits them a lot. It forms their conscious (the voice in the back of their heads) and because of these values students usually to do the right thing or at least know what the right thing is!
As a grade 12, graduation is something that stresses us more and more as we see it right around the corner. The difference between the Catholic and Public on graduate expectations was very clear to me once I changed school because at the Public board the only expectation of a graduate is to successfully finish high school and move on to university, while in the Catholic Board we are expected to do more than that, we are expected to be the best we can, not only in the classroom but everywhere we go.
As different as the two boards are, I don’t think one can say one is better than the other, I believe that it depends on the student and what they prefer to be part of. For me the Catholic board has worked better, I can see it in my marks and in my involvement on school activities, but for someone else the Public board might be a better fit.
