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Hannah Gelinas

Professor Theresa Meyer

ED 112; Intro to Professional Education

16 November 2023

School and Community Analysis Paper; St. Viator High School

Saint Viator High School was founded in 1961 for the goal of honoring the Catholic faith

in the evolving city of Arlington Heights, Illinois. The Clerics of St.Viator have worked to

transform private schooling in the area and now welcome almost 800 students into their doors.

Arlington Heights, IL has worked to evolve their surrounding areas for St. Viator and enhance

the parks and recreation in the area. Arlington Heights, IL is a Northwest Suburb of Chicago and

has impacted my life immensely. I was ecstatic to learn more on St. Viator and how the school

has structured their curriculum to enhance their purpose, the economic viewpoint of the school,

and the community and political influences on the school. I hoped to get a more well-rounded

idea of the various schooling systems in the world and even in my own community.

When looking for schools to research, I was interested in finding one that was opposite to

my schooling experience. In Arlington Heights, I have been in the public schooling system all

my life with bigger graduating classes. Therefore, I thought I should look into the smaller,

private school St. Viator that many of my friends attend, so I can get a better understanding of

their learning experience.

St. Viator high school has a curriculum that incorporates Catholic ideals. To attend this

private institution, the students must apply and be accepted into the school. This means that an

admission committee will ultimately decide who is admitted to the school. The Saint Viator

handbook highlights, “The admissions committee considers entrance test results and weights
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previous academic performance and the teacher evaluation. Additional data may be required

before admission is granted. The admissions committee makes the final decision concerning

admission,” (pg 7, link to handbook ). This results in students being more accepted on grades and

testing than the true identity of the students and their past. Once being accepted to St. Viator, the

students are required to take a total of 24 credits from a variety of subjects: English, theology,

social studies, science, mathematics, modern world language, PE/health, fine arts, computer

technology, and electives. I noticed how most of the required curriculum is similar to many

schools today, except for the computer technology and theology. I understand both of these being

taught for this institution from the increasing inclusion of technology in everyday life and this

school being a private Catholic religion-based school. Additionally, every student must complete

65 hours of “Christian Service Requirement” and pass the federal and Illinois state constitution

tests. The “Christian Service Requirement” is similar to community service, except these

community activities must be related to St. Viator or the Catholic belief. This requirement allows

for the students to recognize the Arlington Heights area and stay connected to it. Historically,

Arlington Heights has worked to make events public for all races and religions, so I think finding

some Catholic-based events might be difficult. Continually, the demographics of St. Viator and

Arlington Heights are predominately white. Arlington Heights is a 100% urban area of the

Northwest Suburbs and has very protected yet well-developed housing throughout. The criminal

index has been significantly lower than the U.S. average, but the diversity in the community is

struggling with 73.8% being white. When I looked at the neighborhoods surrounding St.Viator,

the housing is very well-kept, many civilians walking or jogging in the neighborhoods, and the

downtown with a train station is close. St. Viator is demographically similar to Arlington Heights

from being mainly white (out of the 780 students attending, almost 700 are white) and
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Catholic-based from the school teaching Catholic ideals. I think this lower diversity in the

community and school can impact the students and their view on all the different races in the

world.

St. Viator has been influenced by the Catholic religion for their students' education, but it

has also impacted the philosophy and programs available in the school. The school's mission

statement is, provided from the Saint Viator website, “Saint Viator High School is a Catholic,

college-preparatory community of learning called to provide religious formation and an

academic program of excellence to young men and women,” (Saint Viator website). This

revealed to me how heavily impacted the school was to the Catholic religion and the close-knit

bond the schools hoped to achieve for the students. The surrounding community is similar to St.

Viator in the aspect that the civilians are also very close-knit with each other. I have witnessed

this close bond in the community when I attend the public events such as the annual tree lighting

ceremony or harvest festival. All the members are very welcoming and approachable, which

helps to build connections with each other. I do wonder though if diversity increased to have less

whites in the community, would members still think everyone is as approachable? Could current

minorities maybe feel secluded from having significantly less in the community? After looking

more into the mission statement, I noticed St. Viator also provides more areas to advance the

students' curriculum. Some ways include AP, Dual-Credit, and online classes. St. Viator partners

with Loyola University Chicago and Arrupe Virtual Learning Institute to provide more courses

outside of the school. Inside the school, more than 40% of the students take an AP course,

according to the Saint Viator website. I wonder if this statistic has pressured students who might

be struggling in school, because a large amount of the student body takes one. On the other hand,
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the statistics showed me the school is trying to challenge the students to be their best academic

selves.

Not only does Saint Viator advance their curriculum with more challenging courses

offered, the school also provides multiple services for students struggling or with learning

difficulties. Even though St. Viator doesn’t have a program for students categorized in Special

Education, the school has a center for students whose struggle with learning differences. The

center is named Scott R. Scanlan center and it has 2 full-time, certified special education teachers

who help provide support and assistance for students with learning difficulties such as RTI and

section 504. Continually, if students are struggling in classes (many grades under 77%), the

school will put the student on “academic watch” and have more support from parents and staff. If

families are struggling financially for the school tuition, the school has a wide variety of

scholarships, assistance and grants students can apply for. Tuition for each academic year at St.

Viator is $15,800, which varies if students participate in sports and purchase their academic iPad.

I thought this was a pricier tuition for families, which could impact the socio-economic diversity

in the school. I was pleased to find out that the school provided $2 million dollars in tuition

assistance awards each year. I hope they can keep providing and allowing more lower

socio-economic families to be administered.

St. Viator has a higher priced education, which can be reflected off of the surrounding

community and park district. Arlington Heights has a median house/ condo value (2021) of

$376,800, but the median house/condo value of Illinois is only $231,500. This can also be seen

in what Arlington Heights is known for, which is their park district. The Arlington Heights park

district (AHPD) has over 715 acres of land that includes 5 community centers with fitness

centers and pools, tennis and golf clubs, 58 parks and a historical museum. The memberships to
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attend the community centers and pool range from $9-$12 for a day pass or $50-$515 for an

individual membership pass. This revealed to me how maybe St. Viator is trying to have a

similar tuition price to the Arlington Heights community price. These prices might be too

daunting for individuals with lower socio-economic status. Not only could price influence the St.

Viator education, but also the Board of Trustees for St. Viator voices parents' opinions on topics.

The Board of Trustees consists of Saint Viator alums or parents of current students. The Board

has 10 Saint Viator alums and has meetings September-June. Even though I couldn’t listen to

their meetings, the Saint Viator website includes the topics actively discussed.

The community has been able to influence St. Viator, which has led to some political

influences as well. One article from the Daily Herald that I was interested in was titled “Saint

Viator announces new scholarship, grant opportunities”. This article references the increase in

the Tuition Assistance Program. This program has included more scholarships such as the

multi-child discount and legacy scholarship. I noticed how many of the scholarships are

influenced by broad and religious topics such as merit, catholic elementary student, and catholic

educator discount. This can be seen as relevant since many outside events such as the COVID-19

pandemic have created fluctuations in income for families. Money is a big factor for families, so

if tuition is too high it can single-out families who have a higher socio-economic status. The

article had a more structured language tone that was almost just referencing the scholarships

provided. It didn’t include many opinions from the author because the article was submitted by

Saint Viator High School. I wonder if there are more opinions on the scholarships provided from

outside influences.

The School and Community Analysis project has led me to a deeper understanding of the

various types of schooling systems in our world and close-knit communities. I am excited to see
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the impacts future generations will have on schooling and how to make it more beneficial for all.

I was able to learn a wide variety of things such as more on the curriculum and philosophy of a

private Catholic school, the economic and educational challenges, and the influence society and

politics have on schooling.

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Works Cited

“About Us.” Saint Viator High School, www.saintviator.com/about. Accessed 15 Nov.

2023.

“AHPD.” Arlington Heights Park District, www.ahpd.org/. Accessed 14 Nov. 2023.

“Arlington Heights, Illinois.” Arlington Heights, Illinois (IL) Profile: Population, Maps,
Real Estate, Averages, Homes, Statistics, Relocation, Travel, Jobs, Hospitals, Schools,
Crime, Moving, Houses, News, Sex Offenders,
www.city-data.com/city/Arlington-Heights-Illinois.html. Accessed 14 Nov. 2023.

Saint Viator High School Tuition Contract 2023/2024 ... - Blackbaud,

saintviator.myschoolapp.com/ftpimages/1147/download/download_3989861.pdf. Accessed
15 Nov. 2023.

Saint Viator High SchoolFollow this publisher. “Saint Viator High School Curriculum
Guide 2022-2023.” Issuu, 26 Jan. 2021,
issuu.com/saintviatorhs/docs/curriculum_guide_2020-21__1_.

“Search for Private Schools - School Detail for St Viator High School.” National Center
for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a Part of the U.S. Department of Education,
nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&SchoolID=0034
4799&ID=00344799. Accessed 14 Nov. 2023.

Submitted by Saint Viator High School. “Saint Viator Announces New Scholarship, Grant
Opportunities.” Daily Herald, Daily Herald, 1 Nov. 2023,
www.dailyherald.com/submitted/20231101/saint-viator-announces-new-scholarship-grant-
opportunities.