Seattle Preparatory School

Seattle Prep is a Catholic, Jesuit college preparatory school. We embrace the Ignatian ideals that God may be found in all things, that each person is sacred and that we are created to serve others in community. Our mission is to form discerning, transformational leaders who are intellectually competent, spiritually alive, open to growth, loving and committed to justice.

We are fortunate to count ourselves among the 65 Catholic, Jesuit high schools and middle schools in the United States. Endowed with the unique charism of the Society of Jesus and its 475 year old tradition, our good fortune carries with it an important responsibility. We are responsible for living this charism in word and deed, to ensure that our heart is a truly Ignatian one.

One way to do this is to be ever mindful that the key Jesuit terms we use not only describe who we are, but also guide us in all we do. Two of the most important of these terms are “cura personalis” and “seek the magis.”

Cura personalis – or care for the person – came naturally for St. Ignatius and his companions because their relationships with each other were such tender, affectionate ones. St. Ignatius famously remarked that “Love is shown more in deeds than in words” and, indeed, the early companions were bound first by love before they ever took vows that bound them together in any official way. As inheritors of the Jesuit “way of proceeding,” care for the person should always characterize our interactions with each other. Prep does this well; it is a community that embraces love as more than a word.

To “seek the magis” means to pursue what more can and should be done, to constantly challenge oneself to try harder and perform better. Again, this was a characteristic of the remarkable men who created the Society of Jesus. They were talented and driven to succeed. They did not pursue, however, their own glory, but rather, the Greater Glory of God (Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam). We at Prep are also called to live, learn and work with “one foot in the air” – always striding forward, constantly seeking the magis. But our steps, while confidently taken, should also be humble ones. To quote Archbishop Romero, “We are the workers, not the Master Builder.” To seek the magis and practice cura personalis are good and noble pursuits on their own, but it is only with and through God that the journey becomes a sacred, transformational one. That is the journey of Seattle Prep.

For Prep to be true to its Jesuit mission and identity, we must embrace both cura personalis and the magis. Is there tension in these dual pursuits? Absolutely. And that tension is a very good thing. The enemy of a vibrant Ignatian school culture is comfort; the only place that offers complete freedom from tension and final resolution is the grave. But as we strive to be the best Catholic, Jesuit school we can be, we must be mindful that we do so with and for each other. And all of this, our striving and our caring, are folded within a deeper reality and more transcendent purpose - our fervent desire to be with God.

Since the time they launched their first school in 1548, the Jesuits have believed that a high quality education is the best path to meaningful lives of leadership and service. They have understood that the liberal arts, the natural and social sciences, and the performing arts, joined with all the other branches of knowledge, were a powerful means to develop leaders with the potential for influencing and transforming society. Committed from the very beginning to educating the whole person, the Jesuits adapted the best educational models available while developing their own pedagogical methods to become the "schoolmasters of Europe."

All that we do at Seattle Prep is rooted in the school’s mission statement: “We embrace the Ignatian ideals that God may be found in all things, that each person is sacred and that we are created to serve others in community. Our mission is to form discerning, transformational leaders who are intellectually competent, spiritually alive, open to growth, loving and committed to justice.”

In this milestone year – 125 years after the founding of Seattle Prep – the school’s mission remains as vibrant as it has been since 1891. True to our Jesuit, Catholic foundation, we cultivate a faith-centered community where students grow as “Men and Women for Others.”

Throughout their four years at Seattle Prep, our students are supported and challenged to graduate as young women and men who embody the “Graduate at Graduation” values central to Jesuit secondary education: Open to Growth, Intellectually Competent, Spiritually Alive, Loving, and Committed to Justice. These core values are ingrained in our school culture, are foundational to our programs and curriculum, and are central to our identity at Seattle Preparatory School. We are committed to forming the whole student and supporting our students as they discover their gifts in community.