"From the President's Office" by President Fr. David Ciancimino, S.J., was published in the Winter edition of CHS Today magazine. 

"You are who you say you are and there is no higher praise for a school than to say: You are who you say you are.”

Upon completion of our accreditation process with the New York State Association of Independent Schools, Larry Frye, chair of the visiting team and the Head of School at The Harley School in Rochester, began his report to the faculty and staff with what he referred to as the highest compliment a visiting team can make: “You are who you say you are.”

The six-person NYSAIS team found our mission to be clear, with our programs (academic, athletic, arts, clubs and activities) and school culture well aligned with that mission. Some of the highest praise was attributed to our students with whom they met.

The school’s more than a decade of experience with one-to-one educational technology and the balanced integration of its use across the curriculum greatly impressed our visitors. What we may take for granted was not missed by our guests.

Our commitment to faith, scholarship, service and character formation was evident in the articulation and lived experience of our students, staff, faculty, parents and trustees.

Our students are seeing those examples, and so many more, as they live our traditions and are forged into young men. As one said in his student profile interview in CHS Today: “When Canisius says we are ‘Men for Others,’ they really mean it.”

“You are who you say you are.” High praise indeed. As I reflect on the accomplishments of these past years and the feedback of the NYSAIS team, I think it may be safe to say that, while there’s always room for growth, we are better than we think we are. I say this confidently and with due gratitude for an exceptional faculty and staff, deeply committed trustees, supportive parents and alumni, and terrific students.

May God continue to bless our Canisius High School Community.

Fr. David Ciancimino, S.J.

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Learn more about Canisius being accredited by NYSAIS for the first time