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To form women and men for meaningful lives of leadership and service in imitation of Jesus Christ through a college preparatory education in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition.
Our Vision
Loyola Academy strives to be the leading Jesuit college preparatory faith and education center in the United States. We are a diverse and committed community responding to our God-given call to become women and men for others who are religious, intellectually competent, physically fit, loving, open to growth and committed to doing justice.
The Loyola Experience
If you are new to Loyola Academy, here is a 75-second introduction to the Loyola Experience. The full video can be seen on our Admissions page.
Learn More
Jesuit education is the oldest and most distributed system of secondary education in the world. In the U.S., there are 28 Jesuit colleges and universities and 55 high schools. We invite you to further explore our tradition with the following resources.
The Characteristics of Jesuit Education was written in 1986 to help identify and articulate the fundamental characteristics of contemporary Jesuit education. Very Reverend Peter Hans Kolvenbach, SJ, the 29th Superior General of the Society of Jesus, amplified the content of that document in his description of the goal of Jesuit education:
The pursuit of each student's intellectual development to the full measure of God-given talents rightly remains a prominent goal of Jesuit education. Its aim, however, has never been simply to amass a store of information or preparation for a profession, though these are important in themselves and useful to emerging Christian leaders. The ultimate aim of Jesuit education is, rather, that full growth of the person which leads to action — action, especially, that is suffused with the spirit and presence of Jesus Christ, the son of God, the Man-for-Others. This goal of action, based on sound understanding and enlivened by contemplation, urges students to self-discipline and initiative, to integrity and accuracy. At the same time, it judges slip-shod or superficial ways of thinking unworthy of the individual and, more important, dangerous to the word he or she is called to serve.
Profile of a Graduate at Graduation
In one sense, the graduate is a threshold person: he or she is on the threshold of adulthood. The world of childhood has been left behind. The movement from childhood toward adulthood has involved physical, emotional and mental development which has brought out strengths, abilities, and characteristics which adults and peers began to appreciate. The adolescent during those four or five years prior to graduation began to realize that he or she could do some things well and some things very well. There have also been failures and disappointments. Even these, however, have helped the student to move toward maturity.
For descriptors, we chose those qualities which seem most desirable not only for this threshold period, but those which seem most desirable for adult life. These six general categories sum up the many areas of life most in accord with a full adult living of the Christ life. These characteristics are RIPLOC:
Religious
Intellectually Competent
Physically Fit
Loving
Open to Growth
Committed to Justice
All of the characteristics described are in dynamic interaction. The division into the six categories simply provides a helpful way to analyze and describe the graduate.
History & Symbolism of the School Logo
The school logo and/or seal contain the following symbolic elements:
The image of two wolves eating at a cauldron is derived from the heraldic crest carved into the lintel of the St. Ignatius family home in Loyola, Spain. The image is symbolic of the generosity and prosperity of the House of Loyola — a place so hospitable that even the wolves (a symbol of nobility) found food in the kettle after family members, followers and soldiers had eaten their fill.
This acronym represents the motto of the Society of Jesus, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam . The motto, which means “For the Greater Glory of God,” remains in the original Latin because Latin is an integral part of the Jesuit educational tradition and reflects Loyola Academy’s commitment to a classical liberal arts curriculum.
The square field with seven stripes represents the bravery of the seven Loyola brothers from the maternal side of the family who distinguished themselves in the famous battle of Boetibar in 1321.