Mission and Philosophy

MISSION

Mater Dei is an identifiably Catholic preparatory school that empowers students for lifelong success by integrating faith and service into a rigorous college preparatory curriculum and providing opportunities to learn, grow, compete and believe.

HISTORY

Mater Dei Prep is a Catholic co-educational high school located on a 32 acre campus in Middletown, New Jersey. Founded in 1961 by Monsignor Robert T. Bulman, Mater Dei is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and is an active member of the National Catholic Education Association. Mater Dei draws students from over 30 parochial, private, and public schools in Monmouth and Middlesex Counties.

Mater Dei provides a personalized education in a small school environment. The school intentionally has an average enrollment of over 400 students in grades nine through twelve. This enables Mater Dei to effectively nurture and support its students and create a caring community that focuses on providing students with a quality high school experience.

Mater Dei is committed to preparing today's students for successful futures by challenging minds with a strong academic curriculum, expanding horizons with a diversified extracurricular program, and strengthening values through an active Christian community.

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION:

Mater Dei Prep is a Roman Catholic school operating in the Catholic tradition. The school is an agent of the Catholic Church and of the parents who send their children to the school. Conforming to the teachings of the Catholic Church on education, Mater Dei aims to educate the whole person. We believe this is a right and privilege derived from God through the church and country.

We believe that each and every student is a unique individual endowed with an intrinsic dignity. This dignity carries with it a responsibility to God, oneself, and society. In light of this, the student is responsible for developing initiative, leadership and cooperation. We believe that each student has the potential to become a successful citizen who appreciates his own worth and his capacity for growth, and who recognizes and learns to cope with and live with his own limitations.

We believe we are a community whose purpose is to bring about harmony and integrity. This will assist the student in developing a positive self-image in a friendly, supportive environment characterized by understanding and sensitivity.

We believe the student, living in an era of change, conflict, and ever-increasing options, must be imbued with a set of values based upon Catholic principles. These principles should guide the student in making decisions that affect attitudes and conduct toward all aspects of life.

We believe in the development of the spiritual, intellectual, emotional and physical growth of all individuals. We believe that living in a democratic society carries with it the obligation to encourage an appreciation for American values. This includes an interest in local, national, and international affairs, marked by loyalty to the ideals of a democratic society.

EDUCATIONAL GOALS

Mater Dei goals in educating its students are:

To provide opportunities for the student to learn about and practice the Roman Catholic faith through specific courses in religious education and Christian values.
To continue developing a well-balanced curriculum in the arts, sciences, humanities and career-oriented courses.
To guide the student in the development of self-worth by helping the individual attain spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and physical growth.
To endow the student with Catholic school principles, thus enabling the individual to offer strong support and voluntary services to the community.
To provide the student with a set of values which will help the individual to develop attitudes and make decisions reflecting our Catholic Christian ideals.
To teach the student how to think critically and innovatively.
To encourage the development of the student’s individual talents.
To heighten student awareness of their responsibility to God.
To enable the student to reach a level of maturity which affords the opportunity to function as a member of a peer group, a Christian community and a democratic society.
To develop leadership qualities in each student.
To engender the student’s respect for our democratic society and a willingness to participate in its ongoing development.