THE ATENEANS

Xavier University High School students are commonly referred to as ATENEANS, the name by which Ateneo students all over the Philippines are called.

To be worthy of the name ATENEANS, however, you should strive to possesss certain characteristics traits.

The Atenean is, first and foremost, a gentleman. He respects others because he respects himself. He is courteous not only to his teachers, parents and elders, but also towards his classmates, his peers and even to strangers.

Because he respects himself, he strives to be neat. His personal appearance, the way he dresses and the way he keeps his hair groomed manifest a due regard for his dignity as a person and a certain self-discipline.

His manner of speaking is polite. He endeavors to be clear and articulate in his speech while avoiding words that are vulgar and uncouth. He does not call others by hurting names. He is not kapayason.

The Atenean is responsible. He is responsible to himself, to others, to his God. His personal responsibility is in accord with authority and with the legal and social rights of others. He is alive to the rights of other people and has a true concern for their welfare. He constantly works at developing a balance between himself, as an individual, and society. In this way, he manifests a sense of community and the capacity to shoulder responsibility for community building.

As a learner and searcher for truth, the Atenean has developed regular work habbits. Besides being industrious, he is honest in his work. He is not the passive learner who merely studies under the prodding of parents or teachers. He shows initiative in his studies and is persevering in his efforts. For him, time is precious and he manages his time with great care, knowing when to engage in activities aimed at developing his whole personality.

He has developed the ability to gather data, to analyze and synthesize them. He has an inquiring, critical, and experimental outlook. He also knows how to reflect on experience, to learn from his mistakes and the mistakes of others, and to discern and choose what is best.

As a Filipino, he makes an effort to know and love what is best in the Filipino tradition and culture. He familiarizes himself with the manner whereby the Filipino nation is constituted, with the way it is developing with the problems that it must solve in order to achieve its goals as a nation.

Above all, the Atenean is a man with a deep sense of sacred and religious. He sets a high premium on developing and deepening a personal, manly relationship with Christ through daily prayer and frequent Eucharistic celebration. He seeks to recognize his Lord and Friend in others, especially in the least of his brothers, the poor and the less fortunate members of society.

For the Atenean, love God and his Christ without service of one's fellowmen is empty. Thus, his desire to serve others constantly moves him to bring out what is best in him and to strive for excellence. This plays a key role in his decision-making process regarding his activities in life.

It is not easy to be an Atenean. But then, it is not easy to be a man. And to be a man, fully alive, a man-for-others, like his Risen Lord, is the ideal of the Xavier University High School student and graduate.