time an eighth-grader has graduated, he should have a firm grasp of God in his life and sufficient moral competence to negotiate the many moral decisions that he will encounter in his high school years.” Mass on the first Friday of the month is
celebrated by priests from Hispanic or African countries. But each day begins with a petitionary prayer – for the brother who has been shot, the house with a leaking roof, the divorcing parents, the homeless and sick. There are three retreats a year for staff, on
what it means to be a Jesuit educator. Mr Brunell says: “The work of educating a marginalised group – the urban poor – is exhilarating and draining. Collegiality goes to make staff better teachers and to transform the idealism they brought to teaching into meaningful action on behalf of the boys. Jesuits try to take a long, loving look at the real. That’s what we try to do here.” As a religious school, Nativity
receives no state, city or federal funding. Its $1 million annual budget comes from private donations, and gifts from corporations and foundations. The library began with 30 books – it now has 7,000, mostly donated. Parents pay a monthly fee of US$20 (£13). The school uses the printing facilities and
playing fields of a nearby Catholic college, Holy Cross. Seventy-five students give the Nativity boys 90 minutes of personal tuition three times a week. It is from Holy Cross, too, that the school recruits its “Nativity fellows” – postgraduates who join the teaching staff for a year, are paid a stipend and live communally. Of the 13 teaching staff, seven are graduates of Holy Cross and eight are fellows. Overall, there is a 94 per cent graduation
rate and a 98 per cent attendance rate, with 90 per cent of graduates going on to private high schools. Nativity also helps them to find funding; currently it is supporting 62 old boys to the tune of $1,000 a year.
W
orcester Nativity school has what it calls a positive behaviour support system which rewards boys for
strong academic performance and good conduct. They accumulate merits – the “Nativity buck” – which can be used to purchase everything from tickets for sporting events and cinema to stationery and clothing. A pupil, Michael Perry-Moen, told me:
“Nativity is more than a school. For me, it became a second home, where my peers became my brothers, and our teachers our guides.” Mr Brunell concurs: “We will teach boys
how to be men, and, more importantly, in the Jesuit tradition to be men for others. We understand they will make mistakes. We are preparing them to make good decisions for their future.”
Terry Philpot is a freelance writer and journalist specialising in social affairs.
5 February 2011 | TABLET Education | S7
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