If you are like me, answering a ringing telephone at 7:00am produces a groggy and fairly befuddled response. Fortunately for me, the originator of the call was a computer featuring the recorded voice of our Principal, Pat Bonacci, AFSC (and therefore not requiring me to speak in complete sentences) alerting us to the fact that school had been cancelled for the day because of the enormous damage inflicted by a particularly violent arrival of Santa Ana winds. It turned out that all Pasadena schools closed that day and, as I drove to school that morning, I could see why: mature magnolias completely uprooted, roads blocked by mountains of debris and, at La Salle, a batting cage split in half by a limb of the overgrown liquid ambers that we keep beseeching the City to prune on a regular basis (these trees are between the sidewalk and the street, making them Pasadena’s problem, not La Salle’s).
It was then that it suddenly hit me: by the time I arrived on campus, our Principal, Pat Bonacci, AFSC had everything well in hand and, together with Director of Operations, Elena Gallud, was intent upon making certain that La Salle would be ready to receive students - as usual - the next day. This insight is not particularly clever - we all know this is what Pat does. But it was unusual for me to dwell on it from this perspective: as we search for a new principal; will Pat’s successor take as good care of us as this admirable man has done for the last 26 years? Of course, it’s a rhetorical question that does not admit of a glib answer - but it is an important one - after all, the great strength of La Salle is its sense of community in which we all aspire to nurture, challenge, inspire and motivate (to paraphrase our Mission Statement) the people entrusted to our care. Pat has been the role model and cheerleader-in-chief for this essential element which highlights the “La Salle Difference.”
In one sense, it’s an unfair question - no one should be measured by the standard of the person they succeed. Still, we are human and we like to know where our comfort zone lies. By the time you read this, we will have completed the search for the next principal of La Salle High School and expect to announce the appointment in early January. So, these ruminations are particularly poignant for me as I wrestle with the inescapable reality that the most important contribution I will make to La Salle is the appointment of the successor to Pat Bonacci, AFSC. I am extremely pleased with the individuals who agreed to serve on the Search Committee; especially, Dr. Vera Vignes, its Chair. We have representatives of the School’s faculty and administration, alumni, parents of alumni, Trustees, area elementary principals, representatives from the Archdiocesan Catholic Schools Office, and the Christian Brothers. They have taken their charge extraordinarily seriously. From 50 initial inquiries, they identified six candidates for a preliminary round of interviews. From the pool of six, three candidates were brought in for a second round of interviews with the Search Committee and a round of on-campus interviews with focus groups representing: administration, faculty, students and parents. These focus groups were asked to email their feedback to the Committee, which was then reviewed and assembled as support for their recommendations regarding the three finalists. Then, it was time for me to be put on the hotspot: I had to select one of these candidates to be the next principal of La Salle High School.
I think you can see, therefore, why Pat’s “Johnny on the spot” performance on the day the Santa Anas brought Pasadena to its knees is of particular concern to me as I contemplate who should succeed him. Each of the three finalists brings outstanding - and different - attractive qualities to the position. Two are skilled in particular areas: curriculum and instruction for one and guidance and counseling for the other. The third is a generalist, a seasoned “pro” that has helmed more than one Catholic high school over the last 20 years. More than one teacher who sat in on a focus group interview echoed my own sentiments by saying to me: “Can’t we just merge all of these characteristics into one person? (Where is that picture of Dorian Grey when you need it?).
I suspect you get the point of this dilemma: in the grand scheme of things, we don’t get to insist on the “one” way to perfection. The process of becoming better is always messy and unpredictable. What we do get to do is to say; given our imperfect knowledge of the present (and especially, the future) this seems to be the way to go. I have been extraordinarily impressed with the seriousness with which my colleagues, students and parents have approached this challenging task. I know they all care deeply about the future of La Salle and I am fairly confident that they realize that no one person can shoulder the burden of our varied expectations.
Pray that I may benefit from the Lord’s wisdom as we begin the next chapter of the marvelous story of the La Salle Difference. Pray, also, that the next principal of La Salle will take as good care of us as the current one has so wonderfully done.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Te Deum Laudamus
I knew Brother Donald fairly well and considered him a friend (as did many of the standing room-only crowd that attended his funeral in the College Chapel). So it was all the more surprising to me to learn of his distinguished career in the Middle East. As I reflected on my lack of knowledge of Brother Donald’s activities between the time he left Pasadena and the time he returned to Saint Mary’s College, I realized that for all of his talent and intellectual brilliance, Brother Donald did not need to showcase his accomplishments. He was content with the quiet quotidian of a professor’s life. He lived in the dormitories for the entire time he was on the faculty of the College and delighted in his duties as a tutor in the Integral Program (Saint Mary’s version of the Great Books program). Having an apartment in the dorms enabled Brother Donald to engage in one of his favorite activities - cooking. Many student members of the Integral Program would find their seminar sessions adjourning to Brother Donald’s apartment for a lavish supper.
So it should have been no surprise to me (it was) to see a number of the College students in attendance at the Mass celebrating Brother Donald’s life to be openly weeping because of their grief that such a treasured teacher was taken from them too soon. In thinking about their tears on the flight back to Pasadena, I wondered how many of us engaged in the ministry of Lasallian education would be similarly honored by the students entrusted to our care at the time of our passing. For the first time in my 20 years working in Lasallian schools, I could fully appreciate the oft-quoted encouragement written by Saint John Baptist de La Salle over 300 years ago:
You, too, can create miracles by touching the hearts of the students entrusted to your care!
Those tears of grief represented (for me) the profound ability of Brother Donald to “touch the hearts” of the students entrusted to his care. The significance of this outcome is made even more powerful by the fact that two alums from La Salle, Pasadena flew up to attend Brother Donald’s funeral. Brother Donald had taught one of them, Alan Cabral ‘78 for each of his four years at La Salle; and that experience was still memorable to him almost 30 years later. De La Salle in his Sixteenth Meditation for the Time of Retreat captured this amazing outcome:
Oh what glory there will be for those who have instructed youth, when their zeal and devotion to procure the salvation of children will be made public before all people!
All heaven will resound with the thanksgiving which these blessed children will render to
those who have taught them the road to heaven!
Rest easily, Brother Donald, in God’s presence and, through your intercession, may we who continue the work of Lasallian education merit a similar reaction when it is time for us to meet our Maker.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Looking for Pat 2.0
Most folks are well aware, by now, that Pat Bonacci, AFSC will step down at the end of this academic year as Principal and assume a new set of responsibilities at La Salle as Vice-President for Mission. I had the opportunity at the September Parent Association meeting to present the results of the on-line Needs Assessment Survey that over 300 parents took last spring. Veteran parents may remember that we asked you to respond to this survey so that the School could get a sense of your priorities for the next principal. The results were enlightening, but not surprising:
• 80% of respondents wanted the next principal to offer a compelling vision for Catholic, college preparatory education
• 60% wanted someone who was skilled in strategically leading change
• 74% wanted an administrator who is open and transparent with respect to decision-making
• 83% wanted a principal who is a fair, trustworthy, decisive leader capable of creating an environment that fosters high morale
Thinking about this data makes me realize that, in many ways, we’re a little spoiled here at La Salle. Over the course of his fifteen years as principal, Pat Bonacci, AFSC has nurtured an environment where people are taken care of; their problems quickly addressed and the school environment managed in such a way that the inevitable conflict which arises is handled quickly and without a great deal of drama.
Lately, I have been fond of describing the next principal as “Pat 2.0” – meaning that the ideal candidate will have Pat’s ability to take care of people while, at the same time, motivating teachers and students to embrace the 21st Century and the inevitable changes which will take place in our lifetime. The parent survey responses cluster around that profile: a visionary, strategic leader who is trustworthy and decisive in transparent ways.
And, while La Salle is blessed with the resources to embrace the rapid shifts in the technology of instruction, its culture is rooted in the care and concern of the individual. This isn’t just a function of “Pat 1.0”. The 300 hundred year old legacy of the Christian Brothers is rooted in this admonition by Saint John Baptist de La Salle:
You, too, can create miracles by touching the hearts of the students entrusted to your care.
As we cast the net widely for Pat’s successor, we are keenly aware of the challenge we face to find in one person the kind of administrator who will “touch hearts” while also embracing a future that can only be dimly perceived. The next principal will face an educational environment that is in rapid flux as new technologies emerge and unforeseen expectations for students’ intellectual competence are imposed upon schools. Writing in the Bulletin of the National Association of Secondary Principals, Richard DuFour framed the challenge this way:
Principals must live with paradox: They must have a sense of urgency about improving their schools, balanced by the patience to sustain them for the long haul. They must focus on the future, but remain grounded in today. They must see the big picture, while maintaining a close focus on details. They must be strong leaders who give away power to others.
Friday, September 23, 2011
The Perfect Integration of Mind, Body and Soul
Recently, Our Sunday Visitor, a national Catholic weekly newspaper published a provocative story entitled:
Why are Catholic schools so good at sports?
Space doesn’t allow me to list the arguments that put the lie to this stereotype, particularly as I was quite impressed with the arguments made by representatives of Catholic-identified organizations which underscore many of the same athletic values we espouse at La Salle. I was particularly intrigued by the comments of Ray McKenna, founder and president of Catholic Athletes for Christ who noted that:
OSV pursued this lead because of ESPN’s rankings of high school athletics. It turns out that two of the top five nationally ranked football programs are at Catholic schools as are two of the top five boys’ basketball and three of the top five boys’ soccer programs. Two of the top five girls’ soccer programs are Catholic and, locally, Mater Dei’s girls’ basketball is ranked #1 in the nation.
The story led with an analysis of the stereotyped responses favored by public schools:
• Catholic schools can pick and choose their (student) athletes
• They have more resources to put into athletic facilities
• They recruit athletes by giving them scholarships
Space doesn’t allow me to list the arguments that put the lie to this stereotype, particularly as I was quite impressed with the arguments made by representatives of Catholic-identified organizations which underscore many of the same athletic values we espouse at La Salle. I was particularly intrigued by the comments of Ray McKenna, founder and president of Catholic Athletes for Christ who noted that:There are transcendent values that we can learn from sports. First, practice reminds us that no matter how talented you are, you just can’t show up the day of the game and expect to succeed. It’s the same thing with our faith. You just can’t say you’re Catholic and not partake in the sacraments, not having a daily prayer life. These are all parts of being ready for the moment and being prepared.
It never occurred to me that the discipline which Catholic schools bring to the transmission of our faith mirrors the discipline one finds our teenage athletes experiencing on the field and court. It makes sense, in retrospect, when we consider - as the OSV story did - the central role high school athletics plays in integrating the virtues of physical fitness, sportsmanship and perseverance. These considerations echo the message Blessed John Paul II often articulated in his “Theology of the Body” - that the resurrected body in heaven is the sum of these virtues which represents the fullness of our human potential. McKenna reinforces this message:
Sports, properly understood, is directed at the perfect integration of body, mind and soul.
That is the Catholic perspective.
At La Salle, we know that the purpose of high school sports is to align the teenagers’ athletic potential with their personal - and yes - their spiritual potential. And there is the rub. Teenagers - and often times adults - confuse winning with success. While we all are thrilled to see championship banners proudly displayed in the Duffy Lewis Gymnasium, it is vital that they are put into the proper context. Success is the product of the internalization of the virtues that lie at the core of high school athletics - and they are very much Catholic virtues:
• concern for one’s teammates
• disciplined behavior
• focus on the greater goal
• learning from our mistakes.
Championships - also Runner-up titles - are derived from the demonstration of these virtues. And, in the end, coaches - like teachers - are the critical link to the successful integration of athletic - and Catholic - virtues. Paul Mach, program coordinator for National CYO Sports puts it this way: “Coaches are Youth Ministers.” Some day I’d love to see La Salle show up in the ESPN rankings. And, as is true of any human institution, we don’t always get it right. That having been said, I’m encouraged by the daily demonstration of the virtues that will lead to success on and off the field.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
I’ve spent the better part of the summer working on two job descriptions – one - Vice President for Mission is brand new; the other - Principal – is a revision of a previous document. Readers of this space and the ParentNewsletter will know the reason for this exercise. After 15 years as Principal, Pat Bonacci, AFSC would like to turn his attention to a less overwhelming set of responsibilities. When Pat informed me of his desire two years ago, and that he wanted to continue in some capacity here at La Salle, without batting an eyelash, I told him I knew exactly what I wanted him to do next – and that job – Vice President for Mission - didn’t exist! So, at the end of the 2011-2012 academic year, Pat will transition into a new role at La Salle and a new principal will take on the challenge of filling Pat’s enormous foot print.
Folks who are familiar with La Salle know that we take enormous pride in the 300 year old heritage we hold in trust for the Christian Brothers. Our Lasallian traditions are evident across the campus, from the way we start and end our daily prayers to the posters and framed images of Saint John Baptist de La Salle and his confreres, even a stranger to La Salle would be able to tell that the School is part of a much larger network of educational institutions. Still, given the School’s commitment to its Lasallian heritage, one could validly ask why, in tight economic times, create a new position tailored to address those components of La Salle’s culture that appear to be operating successfully on their own?
The first, but not the only, answer is quite simple: we have a wonderful repository of Lasallian values in the person of Pat Bonacci, AFSC. It’s a logical next step for a man who has spent nearly 25 years laboring in the vineyard we call La Salle High School. It wouldn’t make sense not to take advantage of his years of experience, devotion to the students entrusted to his care and deep commitment to Lasallian values. What better way to cap an exemplary educational career than to become responsible for passing on the heritage of the Christian Brothers to students, teachers, parents and alumni? But there are even more powerful arguments for the creation of this position at this time in the School’s history.
At a time when the presence of priests, nuns and brothers in Catholic institutions is steadily diminishing, it is all the more necessary to ensure that their religious heritage, values and traditions are preserved and passed on to the next generation of school children. Our society is being buffeted by the winds of change, challenges to the existing social order and an increasing disdain for shared social values. Schools like La Salle exist, in part; to pass on a consistent heritage that supports the role authority plays in social interactions and to reinforce the importance of shared social values. The School is successful in large measure because the heritage, vision and values of the Christian Brothers inform our efforts to educate the children entrusted to our care. With only Brother De Sales to provide a link to that marvelous heritage, however, it is up to us - the Brothers’ Lay Partners - to ensure that the incoming Class of 2015 and its successors receive more than a rigorous college preparatory education; they must also become exposed to the values that are paraphrased in the School’s motto: Learn Serve Lead which reflects the Mission of Saint John Baptist de La Salle to: provide a Human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor. So, what will the Vice President for Mission do?
Students and Faculty are more familiar with the rich array of programs provided by the Christian Brothers which are intended to pass on their heritage than, perhaps, are parents and alumni. Our Student Life Leadership Team, for example, just returned from a week-long leadership camp sponsored by the Christian Brothers and held at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga. One of our teachers, Monique Gougeon ’03 just completed the Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies, a three-year summer program at Saint Mary’s College designed to equip Lay Partners with the theology, spirituality and pedagogy of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. By the time you read this post, Jim Canney ’65 and Tamara Flowers will have returned from Napa where they attended a three-day workshop for new trustees sponsored by the Christian Brothers. In short, the Christian Brothers are committed to the process of passing on their values to students, teachers and board members.
La Salle needs someone of Pat Bonacci’s caliber to coordinate these efforts as well as to provide resources for parents, students and teachers that will deepen their commitment to Lasallian values. With his background, years of experience and commitment to Lasallian values, I can’t think of a better person to take on this responsibility than Pat Bonacci, AFSC. Many of you may note the significance of the letters “AFSC” after Pat’s name. They reference a rare and significant honor that was bestowed upon Pat when we celebrated his 20th year at La Salle: the Christian Brothers conferred upon Pat their highest honor: Affiliation. In effect, Pat is an honorary member of the Christian Brothers. In one sense, we’ve come full circle with Pat’s new role; in another sense, nothing - really - has changed.
Oh, by the way, something tells me you’ll still see Pat and football games and theater performances!
Folks who are familiar with La Salle know that we take enormous pride in the 300 year old heritage we hold in trust for the Christian Brothers. Our Lasallian traditions are evident across the campus, from the way we start and end our daily prayers to the posters and framed images of Saint John Baptist de La Salle and his confreres, even a stranger to La Salle would be able to tell that the School is part of a much larger network of educational institutions. Still, given the School’s commitment to its Lasallian heritage, one could validly ask why, in tight economic times, create a new position tailored to address those components of La Salle’s culture that appear to be operating successfully on their own?
The first, but not the only, answer is quite simple: we have a wonderful repository of Lasallian values in the person of Pat Bonacci, AFSC. It’s a logical next step for a man who has spent nearly 25 years laboring in the vineyard we call La Salle High School. It wouldn’t make sense not to take advantage of his years of experience, devotion to the students entrusted to his care and deep commitment to Lasallian values. What better way to cap an exemplary educational career than to become responsible for passing on the heritage of the Christian Brothers to students, teachers, parents and alumni? But there are even more powerful arguments for the creation of this position at this time in the School’s history.
At a time when the presence of priests, nuns and brothers in Catholic institutions is steadily diminishing, it is all the more necessary to ensure that their religious heritage, values and traditions are preserved and passed on to the next generation of school children. Our society is being buffeted by the winds of change, challenges to the existing social order and an increasing disdain for shared social values. Schools like La Salle exist, in part; to pass on a consistent heritage that supports the role authority plays in social interactions and to reinforce the importance of shared social values. The School is successful in large measure because the heritage, vision and values of the Christian Brothers inform our efforts to educate the children entrusted to our care. With only Brother De Sales to provide a link to that marvelous heritage, however, it is up to us - the Brothers’ Lay Partners - to ensure that the incoming Class of 2015 and its successors receive more than a rigorous college preparatory education; they must also become exposed to the values that are paraphrased in the School’s motto: Learn Serve Lead which reflects the Mission of Saint John Baptist de La Salle to: provide a Human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor. So, what will the Vice President for Mission do?
Students and Faculty are more familiar with the rich array of programs provided by the Christian Brothers which are intended to pass on their heritage than, perhaps, are parents and alumni. Our Student Life Leadership Team, for example, just returned from a week-long leadership camp sponsored by the Christian Brothers and held at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga. One of our teachers, Monique Gougeon ’03 just completed the Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies, a three-year summer program at Saint Mary’s College designed to equip Lay Partners with the theology, spirituality and pedagogy of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. By the time you read this post, Jim Canney ’65 and Tamara Flowers will have returned from Napa where they attended a three-day workshop for new trustees sponsored by the Christian Brothers. In short, the Christian Brothers are committed to the process of passing on their values to students, teachers and board members.
La Salle needs someone of Pat Bonacci’s caliber to coordinate these efforts as well as to provide resources for parents, students and teachers that will deepen their commitment to Lasallian values. With his background, years of experience and commitment to Lasallian values, I can’t think of a better person to take on this responsibility than Pat Bonacci, AFSC. Many of you may note the significance of the letters “AFSC” after Pat’s name. They reference a rare and significant honor that was bestowed upon Pat when we celebrated his 20th year at La Salle: the Christian Brothers conferred upon Pat their highest honor: Affiliation. In effect, Pat is an honorary member of the Christian Brothers. In one sense, we’ve come full circle with Pat’s new role; in another sense, nothing - really - has changed.
Oh, by the way, something tells me you’ll still see Pat and football games and theater performances!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
A Midsummer's Musing
As I wandered through the various historical sites I continually encountered tour groups of elementary school students. There sense of awe was palpable and gave me a deeper appreciation of the drama of our founding story. As I thought about their experience of historical Philadelphia, I wondered if they would remember their sense of awe as they grow up and became exposed to competing media messages from the Left and the Right. Would they process Fox News and MSNBC as a function of the very liberties outlined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution? Or would they become cocooned in political intransigence fostered by right or left wing “talking heads”? These questions are important to educators because our success is measured by the degree to which our students evolve into critical thinkers who are able to evaluate arguments, adopt a position based on evidence and to respond rationally to opposing viewpoints.
I dwell on this in the middle of summer when our students are enjoying their freedom from school because I find myself becoming discouraged about the tone and content of political discourse here in California. It is a mystery to me that politicians in a state blessed with such abundant resources cannot come to agreement on how to balance a budget. Rather than reasoned debate, the voters are exposed to finger-pointing and one or more versions of the “blame game.” As I reflect on the compromises that went into the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, I can’t help but think that our Founding Fathers were far more successful in negotiating much thornier issues than those faced by our Legislature. And I have to ask myself: what has changed over time that makes political compromise so difficult?
I’m certain that there are many reasons for the strident voices that characterize political debate in California; but one that makes sense to me is the attempt to turn complex issues into black and white iterations of Truth. Perhaps it’s because of my many years in secondary education that I tend to be wary of arguments that claim Truth as a possession. And, where this occurs, I find the level of cynicism in response to be significantly greater. In this poisoned environment our politicians and pundits talk at each other, not to each other.
Our Founding Fathers understood this human dynamic and attempted to construct a political system that favored compromise over winning and losing. Sadly, we seem to be doing our level best to thwart their good intentions. And this is why I write about my concerns in the middle of summer. We educators and parents face an especially challenging effort to instill in our children the ability to look past the shouting and to critically evaluate all arguments claiming the greater good. It is too easy for teenagers to be swayed by a bombardment of media messages and to accept them at face value. Schools like La Salle exist precisely to ensure that the students entrusted to our care are provided the intellectual tools to evaluate a variety of messages and even to construct an argument opposed to their personal opinion.
If American history has one over arching lesson to be learned, it’s this: political debate ebbs and flows in cycles. The current cycle of cynicism will fall by the wayside sooner or later. And, when it does, our students must be prepared to shape the next cycle of political debate with integrity, honesty and thoughtfulness.
W.C. Fields believed that “second prize is two weeks in Philadelphia.” For me, one week was the grand prize as it renewed my hope in the next generation of leaders who will pass through the halls of La Salle and who will (I hope) retain their sense of awe at this grand experiment that was launched in 1776.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Have a "Fashion-Free Summer"
Anyone who has encountered the dubious experience of walking behind a teenage boy in a shopping mall can be forgiven for succumbing to the temptation to support dress code requirements in public places. A view of “Joe Boxer” peeking over belted jeans that angle somewhat south of where most people expect it to be is enough to cause one to advocate for the return of knickers. I am reminded of this cultural oddity as La Salle students sit for their final exams, flushed with anticipation for the start of summer vacation. The malls will be flooded with teenagers in varying stages of sartorial disarray. Boys’ hair will grow longer, girls’ shorts will shrink and a variety of “message” t-shirts will proclaim an array of nihilist (or pointless) messages. And, there will be a flood of belts-below-the-butt as far as the eye can see.
These are the moments when I celebrate the existence of La Salle’s uniform requirement - the virtue of which can be measured on any given Friday when “Spirit Day” or “Dollar Dress Day” produces student clothing more aligned with mall-hopping attire than the khaki pants and LS polo shirt usually seen Monday - Thursday (I’ve learned to invite visitors to the campus on any day but Friday).
Those who advocate for the Friday exception argue that teenagers need to be able to express themselves - and sociologists would agree. I recognize that I am a bit of a “Luddite” when it comes to my view of how teenagers should comport themselves in public spaces. I also suspect that the best I can hope for in this regard is that the adult world - which they will enter in just a handful of years - will impose upon them a conformity to standards of dress that is only a pipe dream in high school. So, I recognize that “Casual Fridays” at La Salle will always be a foundation for the inevitable testing of boundaries that is the sacred mission of every teenager. Yet, I wonder, shouldn’t that be enough? Shouldn’t the promise of a casual Friday be sufficient for our students to accept the more restricted dress code of Monday-Thursday? Every parent reading this should be rolling their eyes at my naiveté. I know it’s a rhetorical question! The point is this: why do we engage in this test of wills from Monday - Thursday? Surely there are more important battles (keeping every grade above a “C” is a good example).
This grim rumination at the end of a school year has been prompted by an article I recently read entitled:
The author celebrates a by-gone era when lay teachers, sisters, brothers or priests would tell a teenager: “Tuck in that shirt” and compliance would be instantaneous. No more; social norms have changed and our teenagers are exposed to a barrage of electronic images which disparage conformity and celebrate transgression. The author argues that the traditional elements of Catholic education - traditions, foundations and values - have served the Church well during the last three decades of cultural chaos. Anyone who has encountered the Catholic Church would recognize that ritual, routine and principles are the central operative elements of its schools. That was true fifty years ago and it is just as true today.
For me, this is the “edge” that schools like La Salle have over the other fine private educational options available to the students entrusted to our care. We hold in trust a tradition of Catholic and Lasallian education that has served the Pasadena area for over 50 years. The ritual, traditions and values of a Catholic and Lasallian education inform our college preparatory mission by asking this rhetorical question: prepared for what? If it is only college, then the existence of La Salle High School is unnecessary. If the answer is a life well lived and well worth living, then, perhaps, something as simple as a tucked-in shirt has larger cultural consequences that escape the notice of most 15 year-olds. Sociologists and psychologists, for example, have found 'external appearance' to be one of the prime factors that decides how a child is perceived and accepted by a peer group. At La Salle, we expect our students to demonstrate care and concern for others, especially their peers. This is challenging enough in the world of today’s adolescents, without having to also manage the status-conscious aspect of teenage fashion statements. At La Salle, the uniform serves the same function as our rituals (daily prayer/monthly mass) and traditions (Lancer Cheer/singing the alma mater while waving one’s hand with the number of fingers representing one’s year in school): to reinforce for our students a sense of community that aspires to reflect the values of the Catholic Church.
A Taco shop just opened in Sierra Madre. By 3pm, it is filled with students sporting La Salle logo wear. As I drive by, I can better appreciate the notion that “sometimes the instruction to tuck in that shirt” is more than actually tucking in the shirt. Have a blessed – and fashion free – summer!
These are the moments when I celebrate the existence of La Salle’s uniform requirement - the virtue of which can be measured on any given Friday when “Spirit Day” or “Dollar Dress Day” produces student clothing more aligned with mall-hopping attire than the khaki pants and LS polo shirt usually seen Monday - Thursday (I’ve learned to invite visitors to the campus on any day but Friday).
Those who advocate for the Friday exception argue that teenagers need to be able to express themselves - and sociologists would agree. I recognize that I am a bit of a “Luddite” when it comes to my view of how teenagers should comport themselves in public spaces. I also suspect that the best I can hope for in this regard is that the adult world - which they will enter in just a handful of years - will impose upon them a conformity to standards of dress that is only a pipe dream in high school. So, I recognize that “Casual Fridays” at La Salle will always be a foundation for the inevitable testing of boundaries that is the sacred mission of every teenager. Yet, I wonder, shouldn’t that be enough? Shouldn’t the promise of a casual Friday be sufficient for our students to accept the more restricted dress code of Monday-Thursday? Every parent reading this should be rolling their eyes at my naiveté. I know it’s a rhetorical question! The point is this: why do we engage in this test of wills from Monday - Thursday? Surely there are more important battles (keeping every grade above a “C” is a good example).
This grim rumination at the end of a school year has been prompted by an article I recently read entitled:
Dealing With Today’s Social Norms
When a Catholic school teacher says to a student “tuck in that shirt,” it means more than actually tucking in the shirt
For me, this is the “edge” that schools like La Salle have over the other fine private educational options available to the students entrusted to our care. We hold in trust a tradition of Catholic and Lasallian education that has served the Pasadena area for over 50 years. The ritual, traditions and values of a Catholic and Lasallian education inform our college preparatory mission by asking this rhetorical question: prepared for what? If it is only college, then the existence of La Salle High School is unnecessary. If the answer is a life well lived and well worth living, then, perhaps, something as simple as a tucked-in shirt has larger cultural consequences that escape the notice of most 15 year-olds. Sociologists and psychologists, for example, have found 'external appearance' to be one of the prime factors that decides how a child is perceived and accepted by a peer group. At La Salle, we expect our students to demonstrate care and concern for others, especially their peers. This is challenging enough in the world of today’s adolescents, without having to also manage the status-conscious aspect of teenage fashion statements. At La Salle, the uniform serves the same function as our rituals (daily prayer/monthly mass) and traditions (Lancer Cheer/singing the alma mater while waving one’s hand with the number of fingers representing one’s year in school): to reinforce for our students a sense of community that aspires to reflect the values of the Catholic Church.
A Taco shop just opened in Sierra Madre. By 3pm, it is filled with students sporting La Salle logo wear. As I drive by, I can better appreciate the notion that “sometimes the instruction to tuck in that shirt” is more than actually tucking in the shirt. Have a blessed – and fashion free – summer!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Why is Easter so late this year?
I am writing these words on the last day of Easter Break. For all practical purposes, this is the latest Easter can be and it won’t be for another 35 years that Easter will occur as late as it has in 2011. Catholic Elementary and Secondary School teachers will understand why I (and they) will be thankful that many of us expect to be retired by the time Easter occurs this late again. I’ve noted in this space and elsewhere that Catholic schools operate with a unique rhythm and ritual that is not typical of other types of pre-collegiate environments. This is particularly true of elementary schools as so much of their instructional focus is organized around the Church’s liturgical calendar. Until Vatican II, for example, Catholic elementary schools were responsible for the catechetical preparation of students for the sacraments of First Eucharist and Confirmation. This required a keen sensitivity to the timing of these sacraments as the Church had (and has) specific requirements regarding when the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, First Eucharist, Confirmation) can be administered. By way of example, one of the many reasons why I love the Great Easter Vigil (Saturday night) is that the Church permits the reception of adult converts into full Communion; which is symbolized by the administration of all three sacraments of Initiation at the same time. With the possible exception of a death-bed conversion (think John Wayne, two days before he died), there is no other opportunity for these three sacraments to occur in tandem.
Organizing schools around priorities such as these is not as simple as it looks - particularly now that the Church has shifted the sacrament of Confirmation to the high school years, albeit, administered through the teen’s local parish. It requires Elementary and Secondary schools to be mindful of what is going on in the parish and to align their calendar with these priorities. To put this in perspective, La Salle serves students from more than 25 parishes.
But the challenge of a late Easter doesn’t end with the need to coordinate liturgical schedules. Catholic schools here in the US have traditionally taken what is known as “Spring Break” the week after Easter (unlike our non-sectarian colleagues who happily divide the second semester in two and position Spring Break in the middle). The logic of this is not difficult to understand from the perspective of the history of Catholic education in the US - which is synonymous with the history of priests, sisters, and brothers who have staffed Catholic schools. These good men and women were expected to fully devote their attention to the students entrusted to their care and to fully participate in the Triduum (the three days of Easter). Anyone who has done so, knows that, in the words of one Church wag: “If the priest isn’t exhausted at the end of the Triduum, he hasn’t done it right”. You can well imagine the need of these good people to have a week off after Easter. So now, we have this anomaly that won’t occur for another 35 years. And, so? …
Anyone who has worked in schools knows that the time between Easter and the end of the academic year is fraught with enormous potential for frayed nerves, misunderstood conversations and a general exhaustion that continues to inform my opposition to year-round schools (virtually non-existent in California, thanks to the Legislature’s ongoing inability to pass a budget). Since graduation at La Salle is on Memorial Day Weekend, you can imagine the mischief Seniors - who already know what college they will attend next year - can create out of a sheer sense of “been there, done that” (not to mention a dollop of adolescent conviction that they no longer need the teachers who have spent four years bringing them to this point) in less than four weeks.
Yes, regardless of when Easter takes place, in schools, it was ever thus … which is why I celebrate the stories of adolescent commitment that you will encounter in this issue of Lancer Magazine. When I read these stories, I can’t think of a better place to feel exhausted at Easter than at La Salle High School. These exasperating, amazing adolescents are capable of incredible accomplishments requiring talent, skill and determination - so much so - that my gratitude for a few days off is blinded by my delight that what they and we (you and I) do matters. With graduation on the horizon, it doesn’t matter that my nerves are as raw as meat in a butcher’s window; because the students entrusted to our care continue to showcase why the La Salle Difference demands that we take care of them.
The Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. (which fixed the arrangements for Easter) provided that:
• Easter must closely follow the spring equinox, in accord with the pagan (Roman) tradition of spring festivals
• Easter must closely follow a full moon in order to light the way for pilgrims' travel to the festivals
• Easter must follow the Jewish Passover (which always falls on the 14th day of the paschal month) to avoid conflict between the two holy days
• Easter must be on a Sunday
• Which means that Easter could not fall on a fixed date, since it must always follow the changing Passover
Organizing schools around priorities such as these is not as simple as it looks - particularly now that the Church has shifted the sacrament of Confirmation to the high school years, albeit, administered through the teen’s local parish. It requires Elementary and Secondary schools to be mindful of what is going on in the parish and to align their calendar with these priorities. To put this in perspective, La Salle serves students from more than 25 parishes.
But the challenge of a late Easter doesn’t end with the need to coordinate liturgical schedules. Catholic schools here in the US have traditionally taken what is known as “Spring Break” the week after Easter (unlike our non-sectarian colleagues who happily divide the second semester in two and position Spring Break in the middle). The logic of this is not difficult to understand from the perspective of the history of Catholic education in the US - which is synonymous with the history of priests, sisters, and brothers who have staffed Catholic schools. These good men and women were expected to fully devote their attention to the students entrusted to their care and to fully participate in the Triduum (the three days of Easter). Anyone who has done so, knows that, in the words of one Church wag: “If the priest isn’t exhausted at the end of the Triduum, he hasn’t done it right”. You can well imagine the need of these good people to have a week off after Easter. So now, we have this anomaly that won’t occur for another 35 years. And, so? …
Anyone who has worked in schools knows that the time between Easter and the end of the academic year is fraught with enormous potential for frayed nerves, misunderstood conversations and a general exhaustion that continues to inform my opposition to year-round schools (virtually non-existent in California, thanks to the Legislature’s ongoing inability to pass a budget). Since graduation at La Salle is on Memorial Day Weekend, you can imagine the mischief Seniors - who already know what college they will attend next year - can create out of a sheer sense of “been there, done that” (not to mention a dollop of adolescent conviction that they no longer need the teachers who have spent four years bringing them to this point) in less than four weeks.
Yes, regardless of when Easter takes place, in schools, it was ever thus … which is why I celebrate the stories of adolescent commitment that you will encounter in this issue of Lancer Magazine. When I read these stories, I can’t think of a better place to feel exhausted at Easter than at La Salle High School. These exasperating, amazing adolescents are capable of incredible accomplishments requiring talent, skill and determination - so much so - that my gratitude for a few days off is blinded by my delight that what they and we (you and I) do matters. With graduation on the horizon, it doesn’t matter that my nerves are as raw as meat in a butcher’s window; because the students entrusted to our care continue to showcase why the La Salle Difference demands that we take care of them.
The Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. (which fixed the arrangements for Easter) provided that:
• Easter must closely follow the spring equinox, in accord with the pagan (Roman) tradition of spring festivals
• Easter must closely follow a full moon in order to light the way for pilgrims' travel to the festivals
• Easter must follow the Jewish Passover (which always falls on the 14th day of the paschal month) to avoid conflict between the two holy days
• Easter must be on a Sunday
• Which means that Easter could not fall on a fixed date, since it must always follow the changing Passover
Monday, April 4, 2011
"Odd" Ash Wednesday
I recently read an intriguing article entitled: The Oddness of Ash Wednesday written by Anthony Robinson, President of Congregational Leadership Northwest, a support network for Church professionals. He argues that the “oddness” of the event lies in its counter-cultural significance. In a “nip and tuck” world where ageless beauty is triumphantly promoted throughout the print and broadcast media and medical procedures are intended to deny the inevitable (think Joan Rivers) end-game, Ash Wednesday asks us to:
Ash Wednesday also launches what the Church refers to as the “discipline” of Lent - a time of self-examination, some sort of self-sacrifice and (for Catholics) the abstinence from meat on a weekly basis. While I love the symbolism of Ash Wednesday, I’ve never really liked Lent…which is precisely the point of these forty days. Robinson puts it this way:
In a world where the Left and the Right shout at each other, where the bad boy behavior of Hollywood Celebrities gets prime time media treatment and where the only popular form of self-examination includes a therapist, the “discipline” of Lent is a bit of a downer. And…we mark its beginning by smearing ashes on our forehead! No wonder Robinson calls it “odd.”
Its “oddness” is also its distinctive strength. After receiving ashes at our School Liturgy on March 9th, I attended the weekly meeting of the Pasadena Rotary Club. One of the members, not knowing anything about Ash Wednesday, asked me why there was a “smudge” on my forehead. Ever the “Marketer-in-Chief”, I was happy to explain its significance. As I was speaking, it occurred to me that the ashes were a form of branding (literally and figuratively). The School’s Marketing Committee has spent the better part of 18 months clarifying the La Salle “Brand”, so I was particularly attuned to this dynamic. It also helped me to realize why I like the ritual of Ash Wednesday. Once a year it “marks” me as member of a group that promotes a set of values I hold dear and to which I’ve oriented my personal and professional life.
A long time ago I gave up on the notion that the world would universally share those values; but, at least once a year, I am reminded of the power and the promise of those values - especially for the children entrusted to our care. Given the fact that Lent is not my favorite part of the liturgical year, I am relieved that it will be another 35 years before Easter arrives as late as it will in 2011. I take comfort in that knowledge because -as any Catholic school teacher will tell you - it’s very important for schools to have as much time as possible between the Easter Break and Graduation. For La Salle, this Easter means we will have slightly more than three weeks to ramp up for graduation-related events. Not only does that make Lent feel excessively long, but it also imposes an entirely different “discipline” on the School’s end-of-year preparations.
Ash Wednesday may be “odd” but it is also a magnificent moment in time to take stock of our lives and to challenge our unexamened assumptions about what is truly important.
“REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE DUST AND UNTO DUST YOU SHALL RETURN.”
Ash Wednesday also launches what the Church refers to as the “discipline” of Lent - a time of self-examination, some sort of self-sacrifice and (for Catholics) the abstinence from meat on a weekly basis. While I love the symbolism of Ash Wednesday, I’ve never really liked Lent…which is precisely the point of these forty days. Robinson puts it this way:
Lent really invite(s) us to become fluent in the language of confession of our own sin and shortcomings, to practice self-examination.
In a world where the Left and the Right shout at each other, where the bad boy behavior of Hollywood Celebrities gets prime time media treatment and where the only popular form of self-examination includes a therapist, the “discipline” of Lent is a bit of a downer. And…we mark its beginning by smearing ashes on our forehead! No wonder Robinson calls it “odd.”
Its “oddness” is also its distinctive strength. After receiving ashes at our School Liturgy on March 9th, I attended the weekly meeting of the Pasadena Rotary Club. One of the members, not knowing anything about Ash Wednesday, asked me why there was a “smudge” on my forehead. Ever the “Marketer-in-Chief”, I was happy to explain its significance. As I was speaking, it occurred to me that the ashes were a form of branding (literally and figuratively). The School’s Marketing Committee has spent the better part of 18 months clarifying the La Salle “Brand”, so I was particularly attuned to this dynamic. It also helped me to realize why I like the ritual of Ash Wednesday. Once a year it “marks” me as member of a group that promotes a set of values I hold dear and to which I’ve oriented my personal and professional life.
A long time ago I gave up on the notion that the world would universally share those values; but, at least once a year, I am reminded of the power and the promise of those values - especially for the children entrusted to our care. Given the fact that Lent is not my favorite part of the liturgical year, I am relieved that it will be another 35 years before Easter arrives as late as it will in 2011. I take comfort in that knowledge because -as any Catholic school teacher will tell you - it’s very important for schools to have as much time as possible between the Easter Break and Graduation. For La Salle, this Easter means we will have slightly more than three weeks to ramp up for graduation-related events. Not only does that make Lent feel excessively long, but it also imposes an entirely different “discipline” on the School’s end-of-year preparations.
Ash Wednesday may be “odd” but it is also a magnificent moment in time to take stock of our lives and to challenge our unexamened assumptions about what is truly important.
Friday, March 4, 2011
To Mentor or Not to Mentor?
Spring (or the threat of it) is that time of year when La Salle begins to prepare for the annual Mission Effectiveness Workshop conducted by the Board of Trustees and the Board of Regents. A committee of the Regents uses the academic year to collect data regarding the four principles articulated in the School’s Mission Statement (you can find our Mission Statement by clicking on “About Us” on the School’s Web Site). One of the ways in which the Committee collects data is by surveying a sample of the student body who are asked to respond to a series of questions designed to ascertain their perspective on the relative success of the strategies the School uses to implement the Mission on a daily basis. One such strategy has been the creation of a twice-weekly “Mentoring Program” in which teachers and most administrators meet with a group of 16 students for about 30 minutes. A committee of administrators and faculty has created a grade-specific curriculum to address the various issues arising over the course of four years in which our teenagers grapple with changes in their physical, intellectual and emotional development. The fall semester, for example, finds the seniors spending a significant amount of their Mentoring periods focused on the task of applying to and selecting an appropriate college. Freshmen, on the other hand, are introduced to the highly structured world called high school and are given strategies to negotiate the - often bewildering - maze of emotional, intellectual and social issues into which they are thrust on a daily basis.
It shouldn’t surprise any adult actively engaged in negotiating the peaks and valleys of adolescent life (parents/teachers) that the older the teenager, the more critical they are of the value of the Mentoring program. Seniors, therefore, could be expected to be more annoyed with the sudden disruption in their schedule that Mentoring imposed on them. Pat Bonacci, AFSC delightfully captured their irritation with this observation:
Of course they’re annoyed…we took away 10 minutes of their lunch-time and added 10 minutes to their school-day!
While senior angst is a situation worthy of attention, what was troubling to the committee was the discovery, based on last year’s survey of students (which coincided with the implementation of the first year of the Mentoring program), that there was a significant lack of clarity across grade levels as to the purpose of Mentoring. As a result, the committee included a “free-response” question in the 2011 survey which led with the prompt:
The purpose of Mentoring is….
Student response to this question mirrored my earlier assertion about the inverse relationship between the age of adolescents and their relative comfort with change. Here are a couple of freshman responses:
to help the students get started at La Salle and to have someone to go to if there is some sort of problem
to have someone to talk to about things that happen in school and to help you with questions about school. It is also used to help you to become a better person and have strong morals
These comments – which echo the statement of purpose in the Mentor curriculum – highlight the ongoing renewal experienced by every high school with the arrival of a new freshman class. Not knowing what the school was like before their arrival, freshmen take at face value the program they experience in their first year. They are too new – and young – to question the decisions of teachers and administrators.
Not so for seniors who have had three years of twists and turns in their academic journey to inform them of what’s wrong with high school. Some of their cynicism is a function of their desire to occupy the privileged position that being a high school senior represents. When they finally get there, they tend to be uninterested in any change which impacts their anticipated enjoyment that being at the “top of the heap” represents. The introduction of Mentoring in their senior year is an example of a change that impacts their anticipated privileged status. To no one’s surprise, the following responses typify their reaction to Mentoring:
to make the school day longer and to sound fancy to incoming freshman
to fill in a forty minute time lapse so it looks like we're at school for a longer amount of time
The latter comment echoes Pat Bonacci’s lighthearted interpretation of the seniors take on Mentoring. To be fair, some seniors were willing to look at the big picture:
to give students an open forum to discuss important facets of our academic and outside life.
Parents know first-hand how their teenagers can resist change which is intended for their benefit. It is no different in schools. I’ve often commented in this space and elsewhere that La Salle’s success is a product of the close working relationship between home and school. And, just as parents have to wait until their children reach adulthood to receive significant appreciation for their good parenting, it is just as true at school. So, while we know that four years from now Mentoring will be an accepted fact of life at La Salle; today’s freshmen will become tomorrow’s seniors, with their own set of critiques…and the cycle begins anew – just like springtime.
It shouldn’t surprise any adult actively engaged in negotiating the peaks and valleys of adolescent life (parents/teachers) that the older the teenager, the more critical they are of the value of the Mentoring program. Seniors, therefore, could be expected to be more annoyed with the sudden disruption in their schedule that Mentoring imposed on them. Pat Bonacci, AFSC delightfully captured their irritation with this observation:
Of course they’re annoyed…we took away 10 minutes of their lunch-time and added 10 minutes to their school-day!
While senior angst is a situation worthy of attention, what was troubling to the committee was the discovery, based on last year’s survey of students (which coincided with the implementation of the first year of the Mentoring program), that there was a significant lack of clarity across grade levels as to the purpose of Mentoring. As a result, the committee included a “free-response” question in the 2011 survey which led with the prompt:
The purpose of Mentoring is….
Student response to this question mirrored my earlier assertion about the inverse relationship between the age of adolescents and their relative comfort with change. Here are a couple of freshman responses:
to help the students get started at La Salle and to have someone to go to if there is some sort of problem
to have someone to talk to about things that happen in school and to help you with questions about school. It is also used to help you to become a better person and have strong morals
These comments – which echo the statement of purpose in the Mentor curriculum – highlight the ongoing renewal experienced by every high school with the arrival of a new freshman class. Not knowing what the school was like before their arrival, freshmen take at face value the program they experience in their first year. They are too new – and young – to question the decisions of teachers and administrators.
Not so for seniors who have had three years of twists and turns in their academic journey to inform them of what’s wrong with high school. Some of their cynicism is a function of their desire to occupy the privileged position that being a high school senior represents. When they finally get there, they tend to be uninterested in any change which impacts their anticipated enjoyment that being at the “top of the heap” represents. The introduction of Mentoring in their senior year is an example of a change that impacts their anticipated privileged status. To no one’s surprise, the following responses typify their reaction to Mentoring:
to make the school day longer and to sound fancy to incoming freshman
to fill in a forty minute time lapse so it looks like we're at school for a longer amount of time
The latter comment echoes Pat Bonacci’s lighthearted interpretation of the seniors take on Mentoring. To be fair, some seniors were willing to look at the big picture:
to give students an open forum to discuss important facets of our academic and outside life.
Parents know first-hand how their teenagers can resist change which is intended for their benefit. It is no different in schools. I’ve often commented in this space and elsewhere that La Salle’s success is a product of the close working relationship between home and school. And, just as parents have to wait until their children reach adulthood to receive significant appreciation for their good parenting, it is just as true at school. So, while we know that four years from now Mentoring will be an accepted fact of life at La Salle; today’s freshmen will become tomorrow’s seniors, with their own set of critiques…and the cycle begins anew – just like springtime.
Monday, January 31, 2011
MLK & Non-Violence
In honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, my Freshman Mentoring Class engaged in a group activity that brainstormed adjectives that one would associate with the values he stood for Words such as tolerance, compassion, justice, equality, fairness and non-violence surfaced during the course of the activity. The Class then developed a “Wordle” poster (a “tag cloud” of associated terms that are computer generated to appear as an artistically drawn poster).
That activity - especially the use of the tag, non-violence - resurfaced for me when Martin Luther King III, head of The King Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, was recently quoted in the news media asserting that the tragedy that left a Congresswoman critically injured and six people dead in Arizona is a grim reminder that the country has not yet achieved his father's dream of a peaceful society. Then, hard on the heels of that observation, Angelenos were confronted with the presence of deadly violence in their public schools - first at Gardena High School where a loaded gun concealed in a student backpack went off, critically injuring two students and, then, in Woodland Hills, when an armed man attempted to gun down a School Police Officer.
It is tempting to consider these events as isolated from our daily lives. Not so, argues the National Center for Education Statistics which recorded 13 victims of school-site shootings across the country in the 2009-2010 academic year. In reflecting on that disturbing statistic, I realized that we who labor in and support Catholic education may want to reflect more deeply on what it is about our communities that keeps this trend at bay in our schools.
A November 2010 media report entitled:
reinforces what we have come to believe about Catholic schools and the virtues of private education - only with a twist - De Sales Catholic School is in the middle of the second highest homicide district in Philadelphia (in one 48 hour period there were 10 homicides on streets near the school). Sister Jeannette Lucey and Sister Constance Tuoey became overnight fundraisers when the Archdiocese of Philadelphia threatened to close this neighborhood Catholic school. But they didn’t stop at saving the school; they also set out to save the 500 children from the violence they faced each time they walked the streets of this impoverished West Philadelphia neighborhood.
How? By making the message of non-violence inescapable in the halls, classrooms and playing fields. A particularly creative approach has been the maintenance of a “Peace Wall” where students can nominate other students who have exemplified the value of non-violence. It is filled with pictures of little sinners and saints, all trying their best to model the School’s values – values that will get them through high school and into college and, ultimately, out of poverty. Even though the school is surrounded by poverty and violence, inside its walls, the values that have always characterized Catholic education create an environment where children learn to become their best selves.
The world occupied by La Salle High School in Pasadena may seem far removed from that of De Sales Catholic School in West Philadelphia until we realize, in a month that celebrates Martin Luther King, we all have dreams. In Pasadena, it may be to become a lawyer or a business person. But in West Philadelphia, Sister Jeannette’s students wrote in their essays on Martin Luther King: “I have a dream that I'll be able to go to the store without being shot', or 'I have a dream that I won't have to cover the windows so someone doesn't shoot into my home.” At least when they enter De Sales Catholic School, they don’t have to worry about the violence coming in with them. All schools need to be this haven for the poor and affluent, alike.
Martin Luther King III said it best regarding the tragedy in Arizona: "…it shows us how much work we must do to create the kind of nation where nonviolence is embraced."
That activity - especially the use of the tag, non-violence - resurfaced for me when Martin Luther King III, head of The King Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, was recently quoted in the news media asserting that the tragedy that left a Congresswoman critically injured and six people dead in Arizona is a grim reminder that the country has not yet achieved his father's dream of a peaceful society. Then, hard on the heels of that observation, Angelenos were confronted with the presence of deadly violence in their public schools - first at Gardena High School where a loaded gun concealed in a student backpack went off, critically injuring two students and, then, in Woodland Hills, when an armed man attempted to gun down a School Police Officer.
It is tempting to consider these events as isolated from our daily lives. Not so, argues the National Center for Education Statistics which recorded 13 victims of school-site shootings across the country in the 2009-2010 academic year. In reflecting on that disturbing statistic, I realized that we who labor in and support Catholic education may want to reflect more deeply on what it is about our communities that keeps this trend at bay in our schools.
A November 2010 media report entitled:
Philly Nuns Save De Sales Catholic School, Make Peace Amidst Violence
reinforces what we have come to believe about Catholic schools and the virtues of private education - only with a twist - De Sales Catholic School is in the middle of the second highest homicide district in Philadelphia (in one 48 hour period there were 10 homicides on streets near the school). Sister Jeannette Lucey and Sister Constance Tuoey became overnight fundraisers when the Archdiocese of Philadelphia threatened to close this neighborhood Catholic school. But they didn’t stop at saving the school; they also set out to save the 500 children from the violence they faced each time they walked the streets of this impoverished West Philadelphia neighborhood.
How? By making the message of non-violence inescapable in the halls, classrooms and playing fields. A particularly creative approach has been the maintenance of a “Peace Wall” where students can nominate other students who have exemplified the value of non-violence. It is filled with pictures of little sinners and saints, all trying their best to model the School’s values – values that will get them through high school and into college and, ultimately, out of poverty. Even though the school is surrounded by poverty and violence, inside its walls, the values that have always characterized Catholic education create an environment where children learn to become their best selves.
The world occupied by La Salle High School in Pasadena may seem far removed from that of De Sales Catholic School in West Philadelphia until we realize, in a month that celebrates Martin Luther King, we all have dreams. In Pasadena, it may be to become a lawyer or a business person. But in West Philadelphia, Sister Jeannette’s students wrote in their essays on Martin Luther King: “I have a dream that I'll be able to go to the store without being shot', or 'I have a dream that I won't have to cover the windows so someone doesn't shoot into my home.” At least when they enter De Sales Catholic School, they don’t have to worry about the violence coming in with them. All schools need to be this haven for the poor and affluent, alike.
Martin Luther King III said it best regarding the tragedy in Arizona: "…it shows us how much work we must do to create the kind of nation where nonviolence is embraced."
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