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The Mission of Collegiate
“The mission of the Collegiate School of Memphis is to prepare young ladies and
gentlemen for college success within a highly-structured, nurturing, Christian environment.”
The Foundation of Collegiate
The Truth of God’s Word is the foundation of Collegiate. It is this truth which calls us to live
out the Gospel every day as a school community; to serve each other sacrificially, respect one
another, treat one another with love and compassion, and encourage one another to walk in the
faith. It is the school’s Christian responsibility to exhort and assist every student to fulfill the
God-given gift of their human potential. At Collegiate students will be encouraged daily to strive
to be the best they can be, to consider the needs of others, and to live a life of joy and gratitude for
what God has done for us. The curriculum at Collegiate will aid students to develop a practical
ethic and a Christian worldview with the goal of integrating biblical principles into the whole of
life. Success in life at Collegiate is ultimately defined as Christ-likeness.
The Vision of Collegiate
The Collegiate School of Memphis is a private, college preparatory school, providing both Middle and Secondary students with the highest quality education within a disciplined and caring environment
so that each student may fully realize their God-given potential. The school’s culture was self-consciously designed to systematically emphasize the eight core values of the school: Hard Work, Respect, Integrity, Personal Responsibility, Self-Discipline, Determination, Community and Joy. At Collegiate these core values work in concert with one another to support and advance the school’s mission. These values are
not only a part of the daily language of the school’s culture, but they also are the ideals behind many of
the school’s systems and methods which are geared to produce character development, outstanding academic performance and college success.
The Core Values of Collegiate School of Memphis
Respect
The culture of the school is one characterized by charity, mutual respect, and kindness. All people are
to be treated with dignity as made in the image of God. Everyone at Collegiate is expected to maintain
the highest standard of respect for one’s self, other people, and property. In light of this expectation, manners, politeness, and etiquette will be stressed and taught throughout a student’s experience at the school. Scholars at Collegiate are taught that they must choose a positive attitude as they enter the
building. Choosing to wear a smile, extend a warm handshake, or offer words of encouragement are commended, whereas if students choose to roll their eyes, pout, or use disrespectful body posture, they
are choosing to be disciplined. Collegiate is dedicated to a school culture of respect and kindness.
Hard Work
Collegiate believes that academic success is a result of hard work. Our instructors teach that the only
place where “success” is found before “work” is the dictionary. Hard work is overtly encouraged in
every class. Hard work is near the heart of the culture of the school. We are in full agreement with
Thomas Edison who said that success was “ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration.”
Every person at Collegiate, the administration, staff, faculty, and students are required to put forth the continuous effort required to bring out the human potential of every individual student. There is no substitute for hard work - it is the “Collegiate Way.” Students will be asked to work harder than they
ever have before, yet they will also be encouraged, supported, and loved as they do. Work is good.
Integrity
Collegiate is passionate and dedicated about educating the whole student. The school has a standard of high expectations and maintains rigorous academic as well as behavioral standards. At Collegiate, a student’s words, attitude, and actions are as important as his academic performance. We agree with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who said, “Intelligence plus character is the goal of true education.” At
Collegiate, students are expected to tell the truth at all times. Any student who chooses dishonesty
will go before the school’s Honor Council which upholds the high ideals of the school. Integrity is
expected from everyone at the school.
Personal Responsibility
Teaching the whole person - encouraging healthy development physically, morally, emotionally,
spiritually, socially, and academically – is a primary objective of Collegiate. The entire school
experience is to encourage and train students to take responsibility for each of these areas of their
life. To encourage personal responsibility, student choice is always stressed – students either
choose to make their homework a priority or not, they choose to respect the rules of the school or
not, they choose whether they are in afternoon detention or not by the choices they make. Through
stressing choice, our goal is that students progressively internalize their responsibilities.
Self-Discipline
Academic performance is a by-product of self-discipline and self-control. Highly structured
environments are more conducive to learning; therefore, all students will be required to follow the guidelines in the school and rules of classroom decorum closely. Furthermore, self-discipline is a mark
of maturity which is a goal as the school seeks to educate the whole person. Self-discipline is stressed, as part of the school’s culture, in ways as simple as learning how to maintain silence, having the ability to
read in an uninterrupted fashion, turning in all homework assignments, and learning how to maintain a scholarly posture during class. We firmly believe that discipline in the details leads to success in the
larger issues.
Determination
The human will is one of God’s great gifts to us and one of the most powerful human faculties that we possess. Some call it “drive,” others refer to it as “grit,” some describe it as “stick-to-it-ness.” At
Collegiate this fighting spirit is consciously fostered. Someone once said, “Often the difference
between the possible and the impossible is a person’s determination.” We believe that “stubbornness pointed in the right direction” can take a student far in life.
Community
All who are part of Collegiate are asked to invest themselves in the school’s community and culture. Everyone has ownership and everyone has a responsibility to make the school’s culture and community even stronger. Whether it is a smile from the headmaster, the outstanding quality of a teacher’s lesson
plan, the student who produces excellent homework, a student thoughtfully holding the door for another student, or simply picking up a piece of litter in the hallway to spare a custodian the effort, everyone has
a role in building a strong community. At Collegiate, we are part of something larger than
ourselves – we all are striving to build a community of faith, joy, encouragement, respect, and excellence.
Joy
Paul wrote to the Church, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say it, Rejoice!” As Christians,
we have joy because we have a genuine reason to rejoice; God, our Creator, loves us and has made
Himself known to us. He has forgiven us for all of our wrongdoings and has rescued us through the
work of His Son. He has prepared a place in heaven for us and has promised to take us to be with Him when our time on Earth is done. And finally, God has promised us that everything will be made perfect when His Son, Jesus Christ, returns to make all things new. We certainly have a reason to rejoice, and at Collegiate, the joy of these realities is communicated and modeled by the faculty and staff. At Collegiate, you will see plenty of smiles.
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