For decades, CNDL has charted a course of peaceful progress under divine stewardship, accumulating a wealth of invaluable experience. Its achievements, steadfastness, and the fortitude of its community are commended even by seasoned contemporaries. Yet, like any prudent captain and crew, we know our vessel intimately. We recognize the necessity of a period in dry dock: a time for thorough inspection, for mending any fissures, ensuring the propulsion system is clear, and undertaking essential adjustments and repairs to the core machinery.

Translating this metaphor to our reality, it is time to rigorously evaluate our current position, our choices, and our practices against an essential, guiding benchmark – one that, regrettably, risks fading from view: the EDUCATIONAL PROJECT OF THE MARONITE MARIAMITE ORDER. This project is the foundational principle that unifies our actions and constitutes the very raison d’être of our institution. It is our unwavering compass, our guiding star, the wellspring of inspiration for every pedagogical and institutional endeavor. While specific programs and strategies must continually adapt to evolving needs, the core Educational Project of the Order remains immutable. Its ambition is unwavering: quality and excellence, aiming to cultivate A TRUE AND COMMITTED CHRISTIAN, AN EDUCATED AND CULTIVATED STUDENT, AND A RESPONSIBLE, BALANCED, AND FULFILLED CITIZEN – IN MIND, BODY, AND SPIRIT.

Therefore, we must ask ourselves: are we still charting the true course? This question carries particular weight in the wake of the widespread suffering inflicted by the Coronavirus pandemic – which has deeply impacted minds and spirits, perhaps more profoundly than bodies – and amidst an economic crisis that has unsettled the foundations of our society. This critical inquiry is directed to every member of our community: educators, administrators, leaders, superiors, and, significantly, parents.

A TRUE AND COMMITTED CHRISTIAN… How do we genuinely measure our progress in this fundamental area? Does our catechetical instruction, both within these walls and echoed in the home, truly nurture a living faith expressed through authentic attitudes and actions? Or do we risk settling for performative piety – rigid postures and hollow gestures? The answers transcend mere report card grades.

AN EDUCATED AND CULTIVATED YOUNG PERSON… Is our teaching sometimes narrowly focused on merely “covering the curriculum,” delivering technically “correct” explanations, and assigning a prescribed quantity of work, all geared towards exam performance? Are we fully conscious of the deeper purpose: equipping students with robust, adaptable, and enduring skills? Skills that empower them to confront complex, unfamiliar challenges by intelligently mobilizing the knowledge and competencies we impart? And what of cultivating minds? Do we sustain the passion to broaden our students’ horizons far beyond textbooks, despite the pressures we face? Do we foster genuine autonomy by guiding students to diverse sources of information, teaching them critical discernment – how to examine, evaluate, synthesize, retain core insights, and articulate them with precision, clarity, and coherence? Are we actively developing essential intellectual faculties: Observation, comparison, organization, analysis, hypothesis, verification, reasoning, argumentation, healthy skepticism, collaboration, deduction, and effective communication? Are we truly nurturing the critical thinking indispensable for navigating life’s complexities?

What about CITIZENSHIP – a responsibility extending far beyond any single subject? This active citizenship, defined by an awareness of both rights and duties, is seeded in the classroom, blossoms in the courtyard, permeates every school space, and must continue beyond our gates: in transit, on our streets, within homes, neighbourhoods, and our engagement with nature and the urban environment. How actively do we address ecological consciousness? Respect for diversity? The unequivocal rejection of aggression in word and deed? Respect for our shared environment and the active mitigation of visual and auditory pollution?

And what of HOLISTIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT, a cornerstone of the Maronite Mariamite Order’s Educational Project? Are we exhausting every avenue to foster genuine well-being and happiness in our young people?

Physically, within sports and physical education, does our focus extend beyond mere performance to encompass the fundamental “well-being” of every student, especially those facing physical limitations or who may be less athletically inclined? Do we actively encourage daily practices that enhance flexibility, build strength, and foster comfort and confidence in one’s own body? Do we instill a profound appreciation for personal and environmental hygiene?

Psychologically and morally, are we attuned to the needs of every student, particularly those exhibiting signs of vulnerability? Do we offer encouragement that builds self-reliance, consistently acknowledging their efforts and progress, however incremental? Do we subtly, yet clearly, convey our unwavering support, respect, belief, and care for each individual?

Do we effectively articulate to parents our shared mission, emphasizing that our roles, while distinct, are fundamentally supportive and complementary? It is neither the educator’s place to dictate parenting, nor the parent’s role to prescribe teaching methods. We are partners, united by our commitment to cooperate wholeheartedly for the ultimate benefit of our children – our students. Their future is our paramount concern.

These represent but a fraction of the vital questions the Educational Project of the Maronite Mariamite Order compels us to continually contemplate, ensuring our vessel remains steadfastly on course.

Though our destination is clear, patches of fog may occasionally drift across our path. Yet, ours is a faith capable of moving mountains. We hold a deep conviction that our collective determination, unwavering belief, and shared enthusiasm will endure despite the hurdles. We aspire for this vibrant energy not only to persist but to grow, spreading like a positive, energizing force throughout our community. Indeed, kindness, joy, curiosity, passion, and positivity possess their own powerful contagion.

Let us all – parents, students, and the entire educational team – recommit ourselves to the diligent implementation of our educational project. Hand in hand, united in purpose and dedication, let us advance this vital transformation, fueled by our shared passion for education and the profound well-being of the young lives entrusted to our care.