Benedictine Academy was recently interviewed by the Educational Division of the Delivering Happiness Division of Zappos, a successful Internet retailer that had over 1 billion dollars in gross merchandising sales. Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos, was a Harvard graduate who determined that delivering happiness through wow experiences to their customers and seeking higher meaning in life was the true pathway to success.
The following are excerpts from the interview that recently appeared on their Delivering Happiness Website. We would like to give a special "Thank you" to Shari Countryman, the interviewer.
BA: "Students need a sense of empowerment and parents need a school that can make a difference." The dedication and loyalty of the Benedictine Sisters and staff, combined with a deep belief in young people, are the driving force behind our small school and its mighty impact.
ZAPPOS: Prospective students as well as classroom guests are treated to a WOW experience which included crowns and VIP buttons, magic swords, special cards, and poems. And students and staff within the school were equally recognized for their remarkable efforts in making our world a better place.
The idea was to do the remarkable and be remarkable. And it’s the school’s job to motivate the students to peak performance.
BA: "We successfully shifted the typical young attitude from indifference and entitlement to passion and empowerment. Our students are truly happy to do something to make our world a better place.”
ZAPPOS: Evidence that the cultural shift had firmly taken hold occurred when Benedictine Academy was awarded the Jefferson Award Gold Medal for Public Service, an award co-founded by Jacqueline Onassis. It is known as the “Nobel Prize for Service.”
BA: It is our hope that our school becomes the model for other educational systems to follow. Plans are underway to create a DH-based curriculum and a Delivering Happiness handbook. What makes us happy at Benedictine Academy is seeing the students and staff happy and full of passion. Interestingly enough, the root of our school’s name (Benedictine) is ‘benedictus’ which means “HAPPINESS!
