Organizational Behavior at O\'Connell Consolidated

Organizational Behavior at O'Connell Consolidated High School

My position as the Director of Development at a private Catholic high school in Galveston, Texas exposed me to the nature and dynamics of the educational institution I am part of. The thrust of my organization, O'Connell Consolidated High School, is best expressed through its Mission Statement:

The mission of O'Connell High School is to provide secondary students of the Galveston Island/Mainland area a strong college preparatory education based on the values and principles of the Catholic faith. The school strives to form community and to develop the intellectual, spiritual, physical and social dimensions of the students in order to prepare them for responsible and Productive Christian living and leadership in today's society.

The school's mission is best summarized through two specific objectives. Firstly, the school aims to prepare high school students to college education through the "principles of Catholic faith." Secondly, it also provides holistic personal development, basing this development through "Productive Christian living."

Given this set of objectives, it is evident that the school is mainly founded on the principles and virtues of Catholicism. Identifying the foundation of the school is vital, for it is through this foundation that I can best assess the culture of the organization as well as its members (students and faculty). Thus, O'Connell Consolidated High School is an organization that has a strong religious culture, specifically that of Catholicism. Furthermore, having a religious culture in the high school also entails its implementation. Therefore, the organization's members -- the students and the faculty -- are encouraged to show behavior and subsistence to Catholic principles, beliefs, and tradition.

Of course, the culture and behavior of the high school stated above are mainly ideal scenarios, conditions that the high school would want to achieve through quality education and faithful practice and belief in Catholicism. In general, O'Connell Consolidated has a pervasive culture, one that truly represents its members, particularly its students. Because of the strong Catholic values and principles inculcated in each Galveston O'Connell Consolidated student, there is strong adherence to strictly attaining 'proper behavior' not only in school, but in the community and their families as well. An example of this would be the Community Education program of the school, wherein the youth will receive education through O'Connell Consolidated at a low cost.

This program includes non-credit courses that seek to improve and develop the mental, social, and physical health of the student. Courses taught include improvement of practical skills such as knowing computer software, cooking, home maintenance, sewing, and automobile maintenance. There are also lessons on geography, history, and botany. Physical activities such as dancing, cheerleading, skydiving, and parasailing are offered as well. This holistic personal development program is consistent with O'Connell Consolidated's objective of providing education to the youth, regardless of their socio-economic level and financial capability to provide for their education.

The Community Education program is just one example of how the high school fuses education with its Catholic principles and tradition. Education is considered not only as attaining knowledge, but to apply this knowledge into good works and actions. A student who excels in a particular subject is encouraged not just to remain consistent with his/her performance, but also to help out his/her classmates who may be experiencing difficulty in the said course. This way, the student learns to develop a personality that not only derived from his/her academic performance, but on character development as well. Learning, in fact, is communicated through the language of Catholicism: academic excellence is not exclusive to character development promoted by Catholic principles and values.