Saint Ignatius High School

I’m an Ohio City resident with my boyfriend and his little one. We’ve lived here for about 4 years and the little guy (9 years old, now) has been spending every other week here with us since he was about 4. The other half of the time he lives in Mentor.
With that being said, since the day we moved here, living within walking distance of this incredible school has made an impact on him. He doesn’t talk about wanted to go to Mentor High everyday – he talks about wanted to go to St. Ignatius when he’s old enough. He sees the morals and values instilled in these young men and the real life preparations they make for college and their careers, starting freshman year. Once a day, these young men are asked to stop and think about all the things that have happened for them to be there – teaching them appreciation for the sacrifices those around them have made, teaching accountabilty and responsibility for actions – which is something NOT taught to the newer generations of today. I know this because it was barely taught to my generation. And the fact that no one holds themselves accountable these days… let alone parents of children. Anyways…
We also love taking him over to the school for sporting events, especially the varisty basketball games. They take place on Friday nights and are a great, positive influence on young athletes. It shows him how important grades are to seeking his dreams in the sports world. It reinforces good sportsmanship, attitude and all these things we try to instill in him at home. It’s also a cheap, family-​friendly activity, which is always welcome in this household.
In general, this school just brings so much positivity to a neighborhood that’s moving forward, but still in the grips of crime, drugs and violence. It’s a beacon of light in a community in need of service, love, understanding and forward momentum.
I’ll admit I don’t know the inner-​workings of this institution, but I will say intolerance and bullying is everywhere. I went to Harvey High School, a public school in Painesville, OH so I’ve seen it all. It definitely comes from the parents – so hopefully St. Ignatius has taken a positive stand against these kinds of issues on campus.

It is really difficult to rate a school like you would a restaurant or other venue. I am not an alumnus, but I have had three sons go through the school and I have been involved with their activities for ten years. The experience was not at all what I expected. While the school has a reputation for athletics and academics, there is much more that makes its special. There are students from diverse cultural, socioeconomic and educational backgrounds. Not every graduate goes on to an Ivy League school, but they do tend to go on to be successful individuals. There is no «boys will be boys» attitude in the culture of the school — rather there is an expectation that «boys will be men.» I have also witnessed an attitude of tolerance towards students. No, it is not perfect. No institution is. No it is not the only great school in the area, there are several. No, it is not for everyone. It does instill an attitude of being a team player among its students in it’s «men for others» philosophy. It has certainly achieved my goal of reinforcing the values that I have tried to teach my sons at home.

My experience was that of an excellent education tainted by bullying and intolerance.
In the 1990s I was the son of a poor single mother in the inner city of Cleveland. St. Ignatius admitted me and gave me enough financial aid to attend, for which I am deeply grateful. Today, partly due to the excellent education they provided me, I have earned my Ph. D. and lead a successful and happy life on the other side of the country.
However, their kindness does not excuse the harmful behavior that often took place and which seemed to be part of the fabric of the school’s culture. For example, while I was a student several of my classmates were bullied to the point of committing suicide, such as an acquaintance of mine named Owen French. Once, when news hit of a different student committing suicide because he was gay and bullied we had an all-​school assembly. Administration did not address bullying at this meeting, but instead warned the students against talking to the press about the school’s culture. I am still in shock today that this was how the school responded to the suicide of a gay student.
I also had a close friend named David Snyder who had a visible medical condition. The word «teased» does not capture the malice and abuse he suffered because of this. Four years of ostracism and abuse took its toll on him and not too long after graduation he would also be dead.
These are just some extreme examples, but I can say that in my experience, homophobia, racism, elitism, and general xenophobia against anyone different were rampant, daily phenomena. At best this mindset was tacitly approved by the school’s power structure, at worst, encouraged by it.
To my knowledge, there was no mention of the students who committed suicide in our yearbook or any admission on the part of the school of failure to protect these kids.
I would call on Saint Ignatius to take responsibility for bullying and intolerance. I have since been back and I saw a plaque that honors another student in my class who died of natural causes. Someday I hope to tour the school and see a plaque with names like David Snyder and Owen French conspicuously displayed saying, «Bullying contributed to the deaths of these students, and we will never let that happen again.»
Update 10÷31÷14. If you view the other posts you will see the «nothing is wrong» attitude which is really the root of the problem. One 5 star reviewer admits, «No, it is not for everyone» which is all too true– perhaps much more true than he intended to admit. Not everyone is welcome. He goes on to completely dismiss bullying and intolerance saying, «There is no ‘boys will be boys’ attitude in the culture of the school». Another 5 star reviewer implies that bulling is everywhere so St. Ignatius should not be held responsible. This is the viewpoint of the powerful majority; of those who fit in and do not face the stigma of being «the other». I’d encourage everyone who denies a problem to ask an actual student to count how many times a day they hear the word «f-​g» (homophobic slur). When I attended, I counted it in the dozens. Blindness to the problem is the luxury of privilege.