The Faces of Cura Personalis
It’s no secret that the people of Strake Jesuit make the school a special place. Strake Jesuit students are blessed with a plethora of clubs, extra-curricular activities, and athletic teams as hubs of support, belonging, and growth. Our vibrant retreat program and theology curriculum enrich students’ spiritual lives. During the school day, students are formed by caring faculty and staff members through interactions in the hallways, on the quad, in the dining hall, and in the classroom.
Student success and well-being are at the heart of the LRC. The LRC Director, Mr. John Barone, has impacted the Strake Jesuit community in remarkable ways. Through his guidance, Strake Jesuit faculty members have grown in awareness of the ways to serve students with learning differences. Mr. Barone’s gentle and kind interactions with students and adults alike make him an exemplary educator. For these reasons and more, Mr. Barone received the 2022-2023 Magis Award for excellence in the classroom and cura personalis. The LRC members profoundly appreciate one another. “One of the best parts of working in the LRC is collaborating on a shared mission with coworkers who are also my friends,” says Ritchie. The LRC’s dynamic teamwork impacts the lives of students: “Students benefit from the distinctive one-on-one coaching we provide. Every student learns differently, and all of us LRC learning specialists have a unique approach to coaching,” says Mrs. Kelly Thurber. LRC Learning Specialists are empowered to bring their gifts and talents to their interactions with students, demonstrating how to use our God-given talents generously.
In addition to LRC support available for qualifying students, all Strake Jesuit students are paired with an academic and personal counselor. Strake Jesuit’s counseling program is committed to providing every student with continual access to an exemplary level of academic and personal support rooted in Catholic and Jesuit traditions. Counselors are instrumental in orchestrating collaboration between students, families, and faculty members. Regularly scheduled group meetings, opportunities for individual meetings, and a variety of special events allow counselors and students to get to know one another and feel supported—whether students are enduring personal tribulations, navigating academic challenges, or celebrating the good, the Strake Jesuit counseling department assists students in becoming the best versions of themselves.
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Cura personalis, a Latin phrase meaning "care for the whole person," is emblematic of Jesuit education. But what does “care for the whole person” look like, sound like, and feel like in a practical sense? Strake Jesuit’s Learning Resource Center (LRC) and Academic and Personal Counseling Department are two outstanding examples of nurturing students in mind, body, and spirit—truly encapsulating the essence of cura personalis.
The Learning Resource Center
“We ask our counselors and LRC learning specialists to be the strongest embodiment of the Jesuit ideal of cura personalis: to know their students deeply and individually, and to offer them the personalized care that best meets their needs. They walk alongside students in one-on-one and group settings to help them grow in introspection about their vocations, desires, strengths, weaknesses, privileges, and trials,” says Mr. John Fahy, Assistant Principal for Student Affairs. Interpersonal relationships, a deep sense of mutual respect, and recognition that each student is unique are essential to cura personalis. From there, a holistic, individualized approach to learning may flourish.
In the LRC, students with diagnosed learning differences are supported in becoming more self-aware of their strengths and challenges, taking ownership of their differences, and developing strategies for success. Through ownership coaching, study hall, executive functioning classes, and relationship development, students can get to know themselves better. The strategies and skills students develop in the LRC are significant in the classroom and transferable to life beyond Strake Jesuit. Mrs. Susan Ritchie, LRC Learning Specialist, commends the LRC for not taking a “cookie-cutter approach to addressing challenges” and says the most rewarding part of working in the LRC is “seeing students overcome their challenges and take pride in their achievements.” Mrs. Adrienne Matthews, LRC Coordinator, adds, “We want each student to see that anything is possible with prior planning and taking ownership of one’s learning.”
In the LRC, students with diagnosed learning differences are supported in becoming more self-aware of their strengths and challenges, taking ownership of their differences, and developing strategies for success. Through ownership coaching, study hall, executive functioning classes, and relationship development, students can get to know themselves better. The strategies and skills students develop in the LRC are significant in the classroom and transferable to life beyond Strake Jesuit. Mrs. Susan Ritchie, LRC Learning Specialist, commends the LRC for not taking a “cookie-cutter approach to addressing challenges” and says the most rewarding part of working in the LRC is “seeing students overcome their challenges and take pride in their achievements.” Mrs. Adrienne Matthews, LRC Coordinator, adds, “We want each student to see that anything is possible with prior planning and taking ownership of one’s learning.”
Student success and well-being are at the heart of the LRC. The LRC Director, Mr. John Barone, has impacted the Strake Jesuit community in remarkable ways. Through his guidance, Strake Jesuit faculty members have grown in awareness of the ways to serve students with learning differences. Mr. Barone’s gentle and kind interactions with students and adults alike make him an exemplary educator. For these reasons and more, Mr. Barone received the 2022-2023 Magis Award for excellence in the classroom and cura personalis. The LRC members profoundly appreciate one another. “One of the best parts of working in the LRC is collaborating on a shared mission with coworkers who are also my friends,” says Ritchie. The LRC’s dynamic teamwork impacts the lives of students: “Students benefit from the distinctive one-on-one coaching we provide. Every student learns differently, and all of us LRC learning specialists have a unique approach to coaching,” says Mrs. Kelly Thurber. LRC Learning Specialists are empowered to bring their gifts and talents to their interactions with students, demonstrating how to use our God-given talents generously.
The Academic and Personal Counseling Department
In addition to LRC support available for qualifying students, all Strake Jesuit students are paired with an academic and personal counselor. Strake Jesuit’s counseling program is committed to providing every student with continual access to an exemplary level of academic and personal support rooted in Catholic and Jesuit traditions. Counselors are instrumental in orchestrating collaboration between students, families, and faculty members. Regularly scheduled group meetings, opportunities for individual meetings, and a variety of special events allow counselors and students to get to know one another and feel supported—whether students are enduring personal tribulations, navigating academic challenges, or celebrating the good, the Strake Jesuit counseling department assists students in becoming the best versions of themselves.
Sometimes God, and a little prodding from family, place us exactly where we need to be. Counselor Mr. George Wrobel never imagined that he would end up working at Strake Jesuit but says it’s been like “walking on the road to Heaven” ever since. Although a desire to be close to his son and grandson brought him and his wife to Houston ten years ago, he gained an additional family through Strake Jesuit: his colleagues in the counseling department. Uplifting one another, academic and personal counselors can give of themselves to students. This work is nothing to take lightly. The adults at Strake Jesuit have an important role, says Mr. Wrobel: “We have to be involved in making these guys saints. That can only happen if we are involved in who they are.” Mr. Wrobel walks his talk and thrives in 1:1 settings. “Mr. Wrobel works hard to connect with his students and knows how to help them through difficult times,” reflects Bond Hassen ’23. “He always kept up with my life and would ask me about my family. I could tell he really cared.” Director of Academic and Personal Counseling Mrs. Amanda Malixi notes, “It’s hard to put into words just how incredible Mr. Wrobel is. He has a way about him that enables him to reach deep into a person’s heart and learn who they truly are. It is astounding. Mr. Wrobel genuinely loves his career—it is not just a job to him, but his life’s mission.”
“The Academic and Personal Counselors and the Learning Resource Center are integral parts of a student’s entire journey through Strake Jesuit—in his academics and extracurriculars, but also his social and emotional development, his spiritual growth, and his becoming a mature and competent young Man for Others ready for the world beyond our campus,” says Mr. John Fahy. When cura personalis seems abstract, we can all look to these outstanding educators’ smiling faces to make it tangible.
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