The Future is Now | Alumni Magazine Summer 2025

Artificial Intelligence, best known as AI, is at the same time complex and simple; threatening and exhilarating; hurtful and helpful.

 

So, in terms of AI, where does Belen Jesuit Preparatory School go from here?

 

As always, we move forward. AI is everywhere, in higher education, in businesses of all kinds, as well as in our homes. Introducing students to it now — and teaching them how to use it appropriately and ethically — provides them with a learning advantage, better preparing them for the world.

 

AI’s presence in the Belen classroom has begun with more teachers incorporating it into their lesson plans. 

 

“Each faculty member decides how and when to use AI,” says Alexis Mabe, Ed.D., Educational Technology Specialist. “Our students take direction from the teacher. We are focused on quality vs. quantity. Many of our faculty use ChatGPT, some use Claude, others Gamma. By bringing AI into the classroom, we can focus on teaching responsible use.”

 

AI does not divorce our students from humanity. In fact, according to Bishop Paul Tighe, Secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, in a story written for Vatican News, as Catholics, we must ask, “What is it that is good for humanity? What is it that promotes human well-being?” He adds that, “We want to welcome something that has great potential for human beings.”

 

He believes that AI has great potential, but that its development must be guided by humanity in order to be a blessing for all people. “It’s a reflection on humanity’s capacity to learn, to innovate, to develop, which is a God-given capacity.”

 

“Belen does not bend on the important values,” says Matthew Jordan, Ed.D. ’08, Director of Faculty Development. “We’re all willing to learn. We make sure to ask our students for their thoughts. And, we continually ask ourselves how to utilize AI without sacrificing our Catholic values.”

 

He is clear that AI aligns with Jesuit education because its use is based on the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm of context, experience, reflection, action, and evaluation. He points out that it is never used exclusively as a teaching method. Rather, it is used to enhance the teaching and learning experience.

 

“The pendulum should never swing only one way,” he says. “Classroom instruction should include all things: lecture, group work, research…AI is not a replacement for instruction.”

 

While Belen is very proactive in its use of AI, the process of incorporating AI into the classroom was anything but rushed. ChatGPT has become very accessible, and many students already have an account. Teachers were beginning to see the educational possibilities and began bringing ideas to Dr. Mabe and Dr. Jordan. 

 

“We knew we needed to do something, so we formed an AI in Education committee,” says Dr.  Mabe. “We wanted all voices represented, so the group was composed of members of faculty and administration, including those who were both eager to use AI and those who were hesitant.”

 

Committee members relied on prayer, discernment, and professional development, always recognizing that AI is here to stay. There is no official mandate to teachers on how—or even if—to use AI. Each faculty member decides how to use it, and that varies among the different disciplines. According to Dr. Mabe, it is important that teachers view AI as a co-collaborator. Research on its use remains constant. 

 

“There are concerns about its use,” says Dr. Jordan. “But, using it ties directly to our Mission Statement. Belen is a school that embraces change and is always looking at the world our students will walk into. We must ensure they are prepared for that world.”

 

Of course, there are concerns regarding AI in the classroom. One is that AI may lessen critical thinking. Dr. Jordan shares an example of solving a math problem by telling AI to do the math problem wrong. It is then up to the students to first find where the error occurred and then correct it. This process involves critical thinking. 

 

Another prevalent concern is creating an over-reliance on AI among students. There are guardrails in place to help prevent inappropriate use. The committee developed a checklist.  For instance, a student can use AI to check grammar, but not to write a paper. They can however, use AI to pull resources, fact find, and gain ideas. In terms of research papers, there are ways to incorporate AI to deepen learning. Students must have the foundational subject knowledge to get the most output from AI. Another use is to choose a topic from current events, but use AI as part of their research and write it from different perspectives. This teaches debate and prepares students for a more expansive world view, seeing beyond the information that is directly in front of them. 

 

The successful integration of AI is extending beyond the classroom. A new school website is in the works and will lean on AI for a more efficient user experience. Teresa Martínez, Belen’s Director of Communications, is overseeing the project.

 

“We are looking to use AI to enhance the search process,” she says. “Prospective families will have quicker, better information for their decision making, saving them the time of calling our admissions office. And, in turn, we will know what these parents are most interested in and can better direct them toward it.”

 

Martínez is excited about the integration of AI at Belen. She admires the way the leadership team has implemented its use and knows very well how important it is to be on the cutting edge and to provide students with the tools they will need for success beyond Belen. As a mother of a current Belen student (Diego ’27), she has the same concerns as any parent who has children searching the internet.

 

“I want to be sure my kids are using this (AI) as a learning tool,” she says. “Our priority at Belen is to ensure our students are taught to use this correctly. And there is no question AI is part of their future, not just in college, but in the jobs they will step into. As a parent, I want them to be prepared.”

 

Dr. Mabe echoes these sentiments. “Sixty percent of the jobs today’s middle school students will have don’t even exist yet. How do we prepare students now for this reality? We do that by teaching them to think critically in a world where we don’t know all the answers. We allow them to have a growth mindset.”

 

The administration and faculty continue to learn and remain open to growth. Dr. Jordan is humbled by the faith they have placed in him and Dr. Mabe. And, he sees the good work Belen teachers bring to the classroom every day, preparing students for the greater world. They look to the future for the good of the students.

 

“This is an entire technological and pedagogical shift,” he says. “Our faculty live and breathe their vocation. They know that if we shut down the world our students live in, in order to stay in the world we think they live in, we are doing them a disservice.”