St. Bernard Prep – Private Education in a Serene Setting
Located in the beautiful Appalachian
foothills of North Alabama and tucked away on the east side of Cullman County
is Alabama’s only Catholic boarding school – St. Bernard Preparatory
School. St. Bernard Prep is a residential
and day school for grades 7-12
that was begun by the Benedictine Monks at St. Bernard Abbey in 1891, the year
the monastery was founded. Since that
time the call to educate has been central in the work of the monks, including
high school, college and seminary education.
For over 1,500 years Benedictine Monks have been
involved in the business of education, keeping alive the love for learning and
a deep appreciation for God’s creation and world cultures. With that solid foundation, the Cullman,
Alabama school has declared its mission: “St. Bernard Preparatory School is
committed to fully engaging students in learning for the whole person – body,
mind and spirit.”
In the year 2005, St. Bernard opened
Founder’s Hall and created a wonderful learning environment for students in
grades 7 and 8. The Middle School
contains six classrooms, including a music room, science lab, and a newly
purchased mobile computer lab.
The Upper School offers most classroom
instruction in the Swisher Classroom Building, with music, art, drama, and
physical education located at other campus locations. Classes are taught by highly certified
veteran instructors with vast experience at both the high school and collegiate
level. Most have been educated beyond
the master’s degree level.
The Middle School academic program is
structured for the purpose of improving academic achievement in the 7th
and 8th grades. The concepts
and skills taught in the middle grades provide the necessary foundation for the
college preparatory curriculum of the Upper School.
The entire school curriculum is
based on the liberal arts: languages and literature, history, mathematics,
science, the social sciences, theology and the arts. The teaching philosophy emphasizes the
ability to think, to read with understanding, to express oneself with precision
and confidence, and to solve problems creatively. Courses encourage the development of mental
and physical discipline, of breadth and depth of knowledge, of responsible
thought and action, and of critical thinking.
Benedict Dorm is home to the young men
of St. Bernard, and the young ladies reside in their dormitory located in the
Administration Building. Whether
students choose to reside on campus or commute daily, they are taught to
acquire good study habits and develop daily routines that lead to personal
growth and development.
School President, Fr. Joel Martin, who
served as Headmaster for 15 years, says he is proud of what he has witnessed
from the students who have graduated and who are currently enrolled.
“We have high expectations for our
students. We believe in a full life of
true involvement, overcoming fear and taking risks, but most of all
responsibility and self-control,” he said.
Teaching students how to budget time,
study, set goals, get along with one another, and limit their time on the
internet, cell phone and TV, are part of the school’s overall philosophy. Students are encouraged to make good
decisions and accept consequences, solve problems, clean their room well, do
laundry and learn to accept the joys and difficulties of life with others.
Chuckling, Fr. Joel said parents often
comment on the changes they see in their child who enters the residential
life. “Parents have said on more than
one occasion, they have experienced first-hand an increasing closeness to
family, a greater depth of communication, appreciation and love, as well as
self-discipline, self-respect and self-confidence. It all comes from St. Bernard Prep’s belief
in teenagers and in our expectation that they think for themselves and make
wise choices.”
The school currently has 22
international students enrolled from five different countries: Germany, Korea, China, Vietnam, and
Taiwan. That makes for a breadth of
experience: a school that mirrors not just the local population, but the world community
of which we are a part.
St.
Bernard offers a broad athletic program and boasts facilities seldom seen in a
school population of less than 200.
Competing in the AHSAA 1A Division, The Cross Country team created a 5K
running trail though the 800 wooded acres of St. Bernard’s treasure forest, and
has become known as a dominate powerhouse in the 1A Cross Country competitions
for both male and females.
The Fazi-Richard Athletic Center
completed in 1996, allows students to participate in volleyball, basketball and
other athletic activities. The school’s
out-of-doors athletic facilities consist of a fine tennis complex, fields for
baseball, softball, archery, etc., and a state-of-the-art soccer field that was
home to the Argentine Olympic Football Federation in 1996.
John Schneider, a resident of Decatur
and current Student Body President, experienced the life of a St. Bernard
student through his older siblings, a sister and two brother, all graduates of
St. Bernard. “St. Bernard is our home
away from home,” Schneider said. “We
chose St. Bernard for the educational aspect, but received so much more . Our life-long friends, the memories of the
dorm, the dining hall, Abbey Church, the quad, Blue and White Day, the Grotto,
Bloomin’ Festival, the routines, and hard work will remain in our hearts
forever.”
Fr. Joel says St. Bernard should
strongly be considered if one is academically capable and willing to prepare
seriously for the life that lies ahead of them in college and university
studies and beyond. He went on to say
that St. Bernard is not equipped as a therapeutic setting for students with
serious personal, social or academic difficulties.
St. Bernard offers a commuting bus
service daily to the Decatur, Alabama area and is prepared to expand transportation
services to other locations in the future as needed.
Anyone interested in learning more about
St. Bernard Prep should attend Open House on Sunday, March 3, 2013 beginning at 2 p.m. or call (256)739-6682 for
a personal tour of the school. Visit
online (www.stbernardprep.com) or like us on www.facebook.com/stbernardprep.
