Philosophy

I

In education, as in life itself, we search, share and build together for the sake of the development of people. At Mercy High School we ground education in belief in a personal God, source of our power and of our hope.

Because God is loving and expects the same of us, Mercy is committed to the possibility of people working together in mutual respect, mutual openness, and mutual service for the greater good of all. This working together stands as the fundamental task and primary commitment of the Christian community which is Mercy High School.

II

Everything living changes as it grows out of the past into the future. The development of each person depends on the ability to change. The rapid and complex changes of society today demand that education focus on process as well as on content to help students learn to change dynamically and responsibly.

III

There are certain principles which underlie the educational endeavor at Mercy High School. Our approach to education is based on these beliefs, and our major decisions are made in light of them.

1. We believe that every person is unique and valuable.
2. We believe that all of us become our truest selves through our relationships with other people.
3.  We believe that all of us must bear the final responsibility for our own lives. 
4. We believe that the meaning life has for any one of us is the result of our experience and of how we understand our experience.
5. We believe that all of us are most truly human, and our best selves, when we are able to go out of ourselves and respond to the needs of others.

IV

Key groups of people share in the education venture that is Mercy High School. Faculty and staff, by providing continuity of presence and purpose, offer themselves in service to the larger community. Students, by participating in the school program with integrity, contribute primarily to their own growth and development and thus to the building up of the human community.

Parents and guardians, by their interest and involvement in the school, are partners with the faculty and staff in the education of their daughters. Alumnae, trustees, and other special friends, through their sustained interest and support, help share the heritage and tradition of Mercy with new generations of students. All these groups are interrelated in purpose and in process.