Dear friends and families of Bishop Ward,
For years, we have sent our parents and families a monthly newsletter with useful and upbeat information about what is happening inside our school. As a team, we in administration have reflected on this process and concluded that instead of an old-fashioned newsletter, this information belongs on our website, which is also available to you on your phone as the Bishop Ward app -- be sure to download it. This letter to you is the start of our new way of communicating the info you used to get in the monthly newsletter.
"A rising tide lifts all boats." You may be familiar with that aphorism, made popular by President John F. Kennedy, who frequently used it in speeches. I have been using that a lot lately when people ask how things are going at Bishop Ward. It seems like God is working through our terrific students, faculty and staff to elevate us across the board. Our enrollment is up 10 percent over the past three and a half years; our music and theatre programs have been excellent; our football program made the playoffs for the first time in 12 years; our student artists continue to win awards for their creativity; the boys' basketball team is competing for a conference title with their best season in a long time; our finances are sound and the school's endowment has grown to $13.5 million; we sent a full bus to the annual March for Life, the largest group from Bishop Ward in many years; the recent accreditation visit by a team of education professionals gave us a glowing report focused on how our students are known, loved and cared for.
We know we are not perfect and there is always much to work on, but we also know we have a positive, safe, caring, Christian environment in which students are thriving. It is a great time to be part of Bishop Ward, and we are excited to be doing more to take advantage of our website and school app to make sure you and all our friends are aware of the blessings we are witnessing here.
Take care and God bless,
Jay Dunlap, President
February 2022