Provincial Assistant for Secondary Education Ron Rebore visited St. Louis U. High last week for a three-day, comprehensive visit to check in on the state of SLUH. 

SLUH is part of the Jesuit Central and Southern Province, which extends as far west as New Mexico and as far south as Belize. With such a vast area to maintain, the Provincial Leadership conducts regular checks on all Jesuit high schools, colleges, retreat centers, and parishes in the Province.

“It’s to show the school, this is what you're doing really well, and then here are areas of growth,” said Rebore. “We track that every year. Basically, it's to help the school simply be a better school. It's just a pair of outside eyes looking at the school to see how it is doing.”

During these annual visits, Rebore meets with faculty, administrators, and students to assess these strengths and weaknesses. He then writes a report for the Provincial, Fr. Thomas Greene, SJ, that can in turn help SLUH run more smoothly.

“(The PASE) prepares a two-page document for every high school. We call it a ‘cheat sheet,’ and it basically goes to the provincial and becomes the initial, ‘Oh, yeah, this is what's going on at SLUH right now,’” said Principal Fr. Ian Gibbons, SJ. “Every school in our province is facing unique strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats based on geography, the diocese that it's in, the local economy, the story of that school.”

Every six years, SLUH undergoes a more in-depth sponsorship review to accredit the school as a Jesuit Institution. Each year between the accreditation, the Provincial Assistant conducts these smaller visits to ensure everything is running smoothly.

“Every year between the big sponsorship review project is an annual checkup; in the pandemic, we see it like a booster shot of the sponsorship review. It's a set time for the Provincial Assistant to come in and meet with people and get updates,” said Gibbons.

The PASE visit serves as an important routine reminder for a school about its work.

“​​SLUH is known as the second oldest Jesuit High School in the United States,” said Rebore. “It's known as an academic powerhouse. I think thinking outside the box and being creative is a hallmark to the school in particular. Not only are you getting the academic rigor, all the clubs you guys are part of, and athletics, but it's also about being who you are and then going out and helping the world.”