Education is the means by which a community transfers its cultural, moral, and intellectual heritage to the next generation and prepares the individual for life. In a democracy, preparing the student for life means preparing him or her for the personal and social opportunities and responsibilities associated with freedom. These include the personal opportunity to experience the vast moral and intellectual potential of our humanity and the personal and social responsibility to do so with dignity, justice, prudence, and reason. Education for freedom ought to cultivate within the student the knowledge, moral discipline, and intellectual tools of learning required to make informed decisions, use good judgment, and participate in society with caring and respect for oneself and others. Such an education is a very private, even selfish, undertaking. It is also, however, utilitarian in that the community benefits from thoughtful, disciplined individuals capable of reason, prudence, and good judgment.

At Downtown Magnets High School we strive to prepare students for the social, intellectual, and utilitarian demands of the 21st Century. The skills necessary for effective interaction within a global community include oral and written communication, disciplined and informed critical thinking, and the ability and desire to pursue lifelong learning. Whether our students graduate and enter a university or continue on into a chosen profession, their intellectual and social skills ought to be precisely tuned. As principal of DMHS, I advocate a safe, engaging, and academically rigorous education that will prepare all students for the intellectual and social expectations of the universities and the work force of our global society.