When Abbot de Clarens established Sainte Croix des Neiges, he sought to build his educational initiative around three key criteria: body, soul and spirit.
Two cornerstones of this initiative would serve to illuminate any new enterprise or development in the life of the school.
Confidence, which is first and foremost the source from which we deploy our faculties, has sometimes yet to be awakened in each child we welcome. Offering a helping hand, lending a sympathetic ear or expressing recognition can often awaken this quality. Only once this stage is complete can pupils welcome the discipline and high standards required.
Charity is the second cornerstone. It resides in each member of the teaching staff and every person working at Sainte Croix des Neiges. Their generosity and availability contributes to the individual development and success of each child and encourages the overall success of the community.
“Mens sana in corpore sano” - A healthy mind in a healthy body
Sport at Sainte Croix des Neiges far exceeds the curriculum under the national education framework. We seek to give the children a real opportunity to discover the concept of effort and satisfaction of achievement. We take full advantage of our exceptional surroundings in a generous natural setting (mountains, snow, rivers, walks, etc.). With a deep respect for this environment, practising different activities is also an opportunity to help one another, promoting mutual support and equality among all.
As an extension of our attention to the body, the children in our care also have a certain sensitivity within, with past experiences that bear moments of joy and hardship. Each pupil has a right to receive the attention and understanding they deserve and their all-round development is formed by their academic and cultural education. And once again, the relationship between the children themselves and between the children and adults is the focus of an educational system founded on confidence, which is characteristic of Sainte Croix des Neiges.
If there is one area where adapting to the modern world acquires real meaning, it is in this spiritual dimension. In line with Vatican II and its spirit of openness, Sainte Croix des Neiges offers its children all the universality of the word “catholic”, considering its origin: cat/holon, which in Greek means “according to/the whole”. Today, we therefore welcome children from different faiths and seek to achieve unity among all by transforming these differences into a potential for true discovery in diversity. The Gospel message, that remains the cornerstone of the education we provide, can be summarised by explaining the three theological virtues: Faith, Hope and Charity.
