Sepenggal Perjalanan

Two Impressive Things of SSA
(Reflection on school visit)
By: Agustinus Prih Adiartanto

St. Scholastica Academy (SSA) is a Benedictine college preparatory school for girls. They have been around for over 100 years (founded in 1865), and they are one of the oldest schools in Chicago. As an old school, I am impressed to the school culture and corporate culture on there.

SSA has 37 full-time teachers and nine part-time teachers -- including president, principal, and other professionals. Generally, most teachers’ females -- including sisters (30 females and 7 males). Most teachers are old and teach more than 11 years. Even eight teachers teach more than 21 years. While teachers that teach less than 10 years only 14 teachers. Most teachers hold masters’ degree and all of them obtain teacher certification.

This school has nine departments that represent the number of subject in school curriculum. Teachers on each department have one day-off which is used for meeting to converse the curriculum administration, make a student progress report each week and send it to parents. Teachers check the notebook/student binder (portfolio) using certain rubric every week.


This year, SSA serves 249 young women from diverse economic, geographic, religious, racial, and ethnic backgrounds throughout the Chicago area. As a Catholic school, about 30 % students are non-catholic. SSA serves students with disabilities as well. Based on my interview, students choose this school on three reasons, i.e.: high discipline, well established, and guaranteed prepare to university. It is not surprising that mother or their family members are graduates of SSA.

Students look happy and enjoy attending the school. They are very spontaneous and smart when answering question. They have high self confidence because they have passed the entrance exam. Students comprehend the school mission and five tenets through class activities, retreat, and various activities after the class. In my opinion students are very proud of their school.

As a top school of the year in Illinois (2007), this school owns a well maintained building. This school is able to get the fund from fund raising up to 25 % from school budget per year. Learning environment is well-arranged and complete. Catholic identity, intellectually stimulating and attractive symbols such as alumni’s pictures show a long standing school culture. The class is very conducive and flexible for learning.

With regard to school culture, the school mission is clearly reflected on students’ engagement in learning, freedom of expression to allow students to develop higher-under thinking skills, positive relationship between students and their teachers, and student’s compliance to school discipline. With regard to corporate culture, older and younger teachers engage in positive and enriching communication. Each teacher thematically translates five school tenets in their lessons. Each department is well organized and optimally developed. Teachers remain to work with the integrity, responsibility, and high motivation. These clearly represent well-developed corporate culture.

There are two substantial differences SSA from Catholic Schools in Indonesia. The first is school independency, and the second one is governmental influence. The school independency is visible from school rights in curriculum development, including materials selection, delivery methods, and assessment. Because of this independency, SSA owns a good curriculum. Learning atmosphere is very conducive, and faculty share learning activities optimally. For a while Indonesia education is not like this. Government control is very strong even to private schools. National exam, curriculum obliged to by 17 semester subjects and 43 learning hours each week in each level very restrictive of school-teachers-students. Student becomes passive, teachers do not constructivism, and success of national test is special target.

Leadership skills are another difference between SSA with the school in Indonesia. Even Loretta is the first lay president in SSA, but she possesses good leadership skills. She is good at organizing the whole staff, building common understanding, and maintaining high motivation. It is very different from school principals in Indonesia. Generally, a principal is only selected by seniority. So it is understandable that school management in Indonesia does not run well. Supervision does not work well; no good planning is conducted at school missions are not well-translated into actions. Those are examples of leadership ability most principals. Those are two things that cause the school culture and corporate culture do not exist in Indonesian schools and the most two impressive things of SSA.***