Portrait of a Graduate
Educating Students for an Unknown Future
“Better is the end of a thing than its beginning” Ecclesiastes 7:8
The world is constantly changing. Some of these changes, such as technological advances, have rendered careers obsolete while opening the door to countless other exciting opportunities. It is likely that our current kindergarteners will step into a world thirteen years from now filled with opportunities we cannot even imagine.
How do we prepare our children for such an unknown future? Without a doubt, our school needs to be aware of and responsive to these changes from a pedagogical and social perspective. We also need to remain committed to teaching virtues and life skills vital to the life-long success of our students regardless of the inevitable and unknown changes that face us. These constants will help our children navigate our world regardless of how the landscape changes. We summarize these virtues and life skills in our “Portrait of a Graduate.” Our Portrait of a Graduate lists core competencies that we believe will lead to each student’s success in an unknown future. This list is aspirational in nature. We hope that every student masters these life skills and possesses the virtues listed when they graduate from PCS, and we train our faculty, design curriculum, and develop programs to facilitate this maturation process in our students.
Our graduates grow in virtue and in these critical life skills within a supportive community – edified, encouraged, and equipped through relationships with supportive peers and capable adults who love them and love Jesus. When students face challenges and opportunities within such an environment they grow in faith, virtue, and knowledge. People who possess these core competencies stand out from their peers, are highly sought after by employers, and are able to lead and serve effectively. In this way, no matter the students’ vocational interests, these virtues and life skills will contribute to their quality of life and success in whatever God calls them to do.
