Student & Parent Handbook

Mission Statement

Cardinal Gibbons High School is a college preparatory school of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh. We embrace the mission of Jesus Christ: to form men and women of faith, service, and leadership in church and community.  

Philosophy and Goals

Cardinal Gibbons is a co-educational high school in the Diocese of Raleigh that shares the Good News through quality Roman Catholic education. Under the guidance and leadership of lay and religious educators and administration, Cardinal Gibbons seeks to prepare young men and women to live out Gospel-based values.  We believe that quality education calls us to integrate Gospel teaching and values with real life. We seek to foster these values with emphasis on Roman Catholic identity and the teachings of Jesus Christ. We recognize that parents are the primary educators and work closely with them in both school and parish. Cardinal Gibbons welcomes families of all faiths, ethnic origins, and economic levels.  

To make this philosophy a reality, the Cardinal Gibbons community of educators, administrators, and parents accept the challenge and responsibility to:

• Cultivate the spiritual values of our Roman Catholic faith and heritage.
• Encourage spiritual growth by instruction in and experiencing of the Church’s teachings and sacramental life.
• Instill a moral foundation centered in the teachings of Jesus Christ.
• Foster recognition of the goodness of God’s presence and will in our daily life.
• Nourish the community of faith among parents, educators, and students by prayer and worship within the total life of the school and parish.
• Teach all secular subjects in the light of Gospel values.
• Encourage critical and creative thinking to stimulate intellectual growth.
• Enable students to reach their individual potential and to think clearly, to form strong convictions, and to act in their beliefs for the betterment of their own lives, their church, and society as a whole.
• Promote a spirit of appreciation for academic excellence emphasizing a college preparatory curriculum.
• Teach the knowledge and skills that promote physical and mental well-being.
• Raise awareness of and respect for the natural order and beauty of creation.
• Foster an appreciation of individual worth coupled with a respect for the rights and dignity of all other persons in a pluralistic and multicultural society.
• Provide an opportunity to develop the potential for leadership in a complex, changing society.
• Encourage acceptance of the right and responsibility to achieve one’s full potential.

In this way, it is our goal that the Cardinal Gibbons graduate will be formed as a whole person who has integrated his or her spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional, and social dimensions according to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Non-Discrimination Policy

Cardinal Gibbons High School does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, or national origin in the administration of its academic and admissions policies, scholarship, and financial aid programs, and other school-administered services.

Mission Statement of the Catholic Schools and Early Childhood Centers

The mission of the schools and early childhood centers of the Diocese of Raleigh is to engage our school/center communities in creating quality education within a Catholic environment that fosters the current and future development of the whole child.

Goals of Catholic Schools

The goals of Catholic Schools, message, community, service and worship are consonant with those expressed in To Teach as Jesus Did (1973). Catholic Schools are to make "faith become living, conscious, and active, through the light of instruction.” Primarily, Catholic Schools are delegated to further the command of Jesus "to teach all nations.” To teach the children is to present Jesus' "good news", the gospel message in word and example. Children are instructed in Catholic doctrine, values, and moral standards. The religious and academic message is experienced in community shared by the people of the school environment and expanded in service to the broader local and civic community. Worship and celebration are means of offering thanks and praise to God who has gifted people with freedom to grow and develop in a constantly changing world.

Objectives of Catholic Schools

Catholic Schools provide environments in which students: 

• Grow in personal faith response through prayer and worship 
• Learn Catholic tradition and current Catholic teaching 
• Develop a functional moral code based on recognition of one's God given dignity 
• Acquire and apply the knowledge and skills that will equip the students to be active, participating citizens in a technological age 
• Respond to needs of others through service to school, Church, and community 
• Gain the information and values necessary for an appreciation of family life and human sexuality 
• Demonstrate social responsibility and awareness of global interdependence 
• Understand and appreciate various cultures by growing in the understanding of social problems concerning race, poverty, and religion 
• Recognize the responsibility to be good stewards of the environment 
• Experience the joy of learning
• Develop creative expression and appreciation for the arts 
• Acquire and apply the knowledge and skills necessary to promote intellectual, physical, emotional, and spiritual growth 
• Learn and use basic skills in all areas of the curriculum 
• Apply critical thinking skills 
• Develop both cognitive and effective communication skills 
• Develop interpersonal relationship skills in an atmosphere which encourages responsibility and appreciation for one another 
• Learn through relevant materials and situations that recognize and address individual learning styles