2025 Annual appeal
Join us as a companion on the journey
Dear Friends of Nativity,
This year, St. Andrew Nativity School celebrates a milestone that fills our community with deep gratitude: 25 years of walking together as companions on the journey.
In the Ignatian tradition, the word “companion” comes from cum panis -“with bread” - reminding us that companionship is more than sharing a meal. It is the call to share life and walk together with hope and purpose. For a quarter century, that is exactly what you have done for our students and graduates.
Your partnership has helped Nativity grow in depth and reach. Today, we serve 85 sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-graders from culturally rich yet underserved communities. We also accompany more than 470 alumni through our Graduate Support Program, supporting them in a variety of ways through high school, college, and beyond. For 25 years, Nativity has adapted to the evolving needs of students and families, strengthening academics, expanding mental-health support, and creating enrichment opportunities—from cooking and coding to skateboarding and service club—that broaden what’s possible for our scholars.
Our mission has grown, and so have the costs of fulfilling our promise to families. As a tuition-free Jesuit, Catholic school without any public or institutional funding, Nativity is sustained solely through individual gifts and grants that make our $3 million operating budget possible.
Nativity scholars greet each challenge with purpose, heart, and joy. They commit to more than 45 hours a week of learning and a three-week summer session, all supported by rigorous academics, thoughtful data-informed instruction, and individualized care. Their days are full in the best ways: you can catch them doing the electric slide during lunch, leading their peers, encouraging one another, and cultivating a community filled with love, empathy, and limitless possibility.
This is what it means to be companions on the journey: to believe fiercely in the goodness and gifts of our young people, and to walk alongside them as they grow in mind, body, and spirit.
As we mark this special anniversary, we invite you to reflect on the extraordinary impact this community has made together. Please take a moment to scan the QR code linking to a video that honors 25 years of impact - a beautiful testament to all that can unfold when a young person feels seen, known, and loved.
And as we look ahead, we know there is still more to do. We still need you.
Your generosity has sustained this mission from the very beginning. Today, we ask you to make a year-end gift in support of Nativity’s students and graduates - one that reflects the hope you have for their futures. Your gift ensures that every scholar who walks through our doors receives the education, opportunities, and steadfast support they deserve.
Thank you for being companions with us - for your belief in our mission, for your commitment to our young people, and for helping shape the next 25 years of Nativity.
With gratitude,
Bri Hennessy, President, Director of Mission & Joseph Aguilera, Principal