Mission and Identity - Good Counsel High School

Office of Mission and Identity

Our diversity is our strength. The relationships formed at GC deepen the sense of belonging that our graduates carry with them well beyond their days at Good Counsel.

Campus Ministry

Serving Others

Office of Multicultural Affairs & Inclusion

Mission, Vision, and Values

In the tradition of the Xaverian Brothers, we inspire our students to excel, serve, and love. We are proud of our Catholic identity and it is the basis of our spiritual formation with our students. As Christians we are called to work for justice and peace by responding to the needs of others in and out of our community.

As a Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School, we are firmly committed to building diverse and inclusive communities that encourage enduring personal relationships through an understanding of culture and perspectives. Click here to view the Faithfully Living Out Our Calls 2024-2027 Action Plan.

Campus
Ministry

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In the tradition of the Xaverian Brothers, we provide the next generation with a distinctive Catholic education. This includes providing opportunities for spiritual growth.

Word and Worship: Our masses and prayer services are special times when our community gathers to celebrate God’s gifts and pray for the intentions close to our hearts.
Service Trips: Serving others enthusiastically strengthens our humility.
- Our students complete over 25,000 hours of service each year.
- Our service trips are a formative part of students’ GC experience. Each year, faculty, staff and students travel to Central Appalachia, New Jersey and El Salvador to perform service and provide unique experiences for students.
Retreats: Learning to understand others teaches us to understand ourselves.
- The Retreat Program is a hallmark of the GC tradition. All students attend retreats in their freshman, sophomore and junior years, and many elect to attend the optional senior retreat. These formative experiences help students form bonds with one another and grow in their faith as individuals. Faculty and staff also attend retreats where they perform service, spend time reflecting, and bond with one another.
Student Leadership Formation: Students who serve as campus ministry leaders and XBSS leaders participate each year in the GC Leadership Institute, building crucial skills for adulthood.

Maggie Bykowski Smith '08
Director of Campus Ministry

Office of Multicultural Affairs and Inclusion

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We are at our best when we feel comfortable and welcome. At GC, we meet students where they are with a spirit of inclusivity. We teach our students to fight against injustice and to love all God’s children.

Our office works closely with school leaders throughout our community to ensure alignment of our diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice work with our school mission and priorities. This includes establishing safe spaces for students to foster connections and their sense of belonging, providing professional development for faculty and staff, cultivating social justice and inclusion student leaders, and actively promoting and expressing our appreciation and respect for the gift of our diverse community.

As a Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School, we are called to build diverse and inclusive communities that encourage enduring personal relationships through an understanding of culture and perspectives. It is through our intentional centering of diversity, inclusion, equity and justice that we inspire students to excel, serve and love.

Many of our office’s efforts are supported through our Social Justice and Inclusion Leaders (SJILs), a diverse group of student leaders charged with promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice throughout our school community. Their key responsibilities include planning student programming, attending conferences, and serving as peer mediators. Through their support, and our commitment to working with faculty, staff, students, and our entire community, we hope to continue to foster an environment where every single human can be excellent.

Denise Yarbough-Smith
Director of Multicultural Affairs & Inclusion

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Office of Multicultural Affairs & Inclusion (MAI) (@gc_mai_) • Instagram photos and videos

Meet Our Office of Mission & Identity Staff

Limnyuy Konglim '01

Chief Mission and Identity Officer
lkonglim@olgchs.org
240-283-3236

Margaret Bykowski Smith '08

Director of Campus Ministry
mbykowski@olgchs.org
240-283-3205

Denise Yarbough-Smith

Director of Multicultural Affairs and Inclusion
dyarbough-smith@olgchs.org
240-283-3272

Grace de Zamaroczy

Associate Campus Minister, Service Coordinator
gdezamaroczy@olgchs.org
240-283-3286

Fr. Thomas
Lavin

Chaplain
tlavin@olgchs.org
240-283-3248

Ami Burritt

Administrative Assistant
aburritt@olgchs.org
240-283-3335

Natasha Bowlds

Administrative Assistant, Campus Ministry
nbowlds@olgchs.org
240-283-3335