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Saint Stanislaus is a Catholic boarding and day school for young men in Mississippi’s Bay St. Louis, nestled on the Gulf of Mexico. An education here is holistic — preparing students to do well in college and in life. Since 1854, faculty and staff have achieved this while making a positive difference in their students’ lives.
It starts by letting boys be boys. “Saint Stanislaus’s mission addresses the challenges young men face in the world today,” says Brother Barry Landry, President of Saint Stanislaus.
The school’s mission is to form each student to Gospel values by nurturing his spiritual, academic, and physical growth in a place of sanctuary structured to embody the charism of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. “The Gospel values of compassion, respect, integrity, courage, love and faith are eternal values that apply to all walks of life,” says Landry. “These eternal values form the grounding young people need to navigate life’s challenges successfully.”
Prior to his role as President, Landry served as the academic dean and social studies teacher at Saint Stanislaus. He has 30 years of experience as a Catholic school educator and administrator. Today, he works to ensure that Saint Stanislaus operates in the beliefs of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, and that it preserves and enhances its excellence as an educational institution.
Sanctuary and safety at Saint Stanislaus
“It is in community that we realise our mutual responsibility for the formation of one another.”
Brothers of the Sacred Heart, Rule of Life #172
“Sanctuary” is a common word at Saint Stanislaus. Students are guided by a talented and committed faculty who emphasises personal attention. They actively and effectively encourage, challenge, and support students as they grow and mature. “The words ‘sanctuary’ and ‘community’ are core values of our school,” says Landry. “We provide a safe place where boys can discover their gifts and talents, learn from their mistakes, and grow to be the men they were created to be.”
For nearly 170 years, the school has welcomed students from all over the world to Aurelian Hall. This 24/7 boarding house is a welcoming place where students work and live together with peers and staff. There’s a high quality of life in the dorm, a result of putting the needs of others ahead of personal preferences.
“In today’s world, many of our students come from smaller families and larger homes – many of them do not share bedrooms, bathrooms or even recreational spaces,” says Landry. “In a boarding environment where they live in common and have to share everything, they are pushed to learn the skills of living with others.”
It can be challenging at first, but students grow to appreciate the friendships they develop and the conflicts they resolve. In classes as in Aurelian Hall, boys are advised, guided and led by a primarily male faculty, providing students with no shortage of excellent male role models. They promote self-discipline, personal and mutual respect and honesty by building trust. Students ask for the necessary permissions and learn to accept the consequences of out-of-bounds behaviour.
“Most teachers in elementary school are female,” says Landry. “When students come to Saint Stanislaus, the change to a mostly male faculty has a profound effect on our school culture and, thus, our students’ experience.”
Boys attend formal, supervised study periods structured into the daily schedule of Aurelian Hall. From Monday to Thursday, they study in distraction-free zones, receiving assistance and guidance from prefects, other students or teachers on duty if required. Those who perform well are rewarded with extra free time.
Classes at Saint Stanislaus encourage students to develop critical thinking skills and cultivate a lifelong dedication to learning that will guide them on their career path. Source: Saint Stanislaus
Turning boys into lifelong learners
Learning at Saint Stanislaus takes place in small-sized classes. It’s more engaging and hands-on, which is more natural and engaging for growing boys. Most importantly, it gives boys the personal attention they need. “Boys are tactile by nature – while traditional educational methods use sight and sound, hands-on learning, which we do a lot of here, also involves the sense of touch, and often, smell,” says Landry. “For boys, the more senses you can engage, the more physical movement you can employ, the more engaged they are, and the more they learn and retain.”
It helps that the school has several distinct ecosystems right in front of it. These include the estuary of the Bay, sandy beaches, and rocky coast areas. This is where the school’s marine science programme, the only dynamic one on the Mississippi coast, provides students with a unique and exciting learning experience.
This approach to education has benefitted many boys at Saint Stanislaus. Many start disinterested, distant and disengaged, but don’t stay this way for long
“They try to show they are cool and that school isn’t,” jokes Landry. “What engages them, though, is someone taking an interest in them as a person, not just as a student. Once they feel noticed and valued, they begin to be engaged in learning and other aspects of school life. They develop a sense of belonging, of being cared for personally and individually, and of personal competence in academic and extracurricular pursuits.”
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