The Magnolia School Coat of Arms
The Coat of Arms is crowned with a magnolia flower in full bloom and the Latin words for each of our guiding principles:Veritas
truth
Libertas
freedom
Pulchritudo
beauty
Magnolia School is so-called as a reference to one of the iconic trees in its home of Houston. Natural magnolia groves grace many corners of our city, lending beauty and ease to what has become an increasingly sprawling and urban metropolis.
Additionally, in the symbol of the magnolia flower, we are called to reflect on the slow work involved in obtaining a single, flourishing magnolia bloom; from the necessary early growth and maturation of the tree to the development of a bud, and finally to the fulfillment of a flower, fully in bloom.
This process mirrors not only the transformation of a child into an adult but also the development and growth every human person is called to engage in over the course of their life.
Truth, Freedom, Beauty
Girls at Magnolia School will learn to pursue truth in all its forms and representations. They will learn the truth about themselves, their strengths, weakness, and temperaments so that they can use their unique gifts to serve those around them. At Magnolia, students will encounter truth in the curriculum, in the lives of the faculty and staff, and in the spiritual formation offered to them.
Freedom is a key component of a Magnolia education. True freedom is essential to honor the dignity of the human person; coercion is incompatible with authentic love and relationships. Freedom is necessary to cultivate the mature habit of choosing what ought to be done. At Magnolia, students will have many opportunities to exercise their freedom and learn to use it responsibly.
Girls at Magnolia will be steeped in beauty. Beauty is a rich and deep concept that ultimately reaches back to the nature of God. Things on earth are beautiful insofar as they reflect the beauty of, as C.S. Lewis said, “the place where all the beauty came from.” Every aspect of a Magnolia education will be beautiful. Beauty will find a home in the material elements of the school, in the choices of books utilized in the curriculum, and most especially in the relationships that will flourish within our community.