On Looking Before Leaping...

Our Principal, Pat Bonacci, AFSC, and faculty volunteers have been meeting with various textbook publishers in order to get a better handle on how the future of tablet technology (read: “e-books”) will impact La Salle and the students entrusted to our care. Pat and I have had weekly conversations regarding the “crystal ball” every educator is peering into with the hope that the next advance in educational technology will appear sooner, rather than later, on our horizon. I’m reminded of Screenwriter, William Goldsmith, who famously had this to say about Hollywood: “Nobody knows anything.” It’s a lot like that with respect to the direction in which educational technology is headed. We really don’t know and only the lucky will guess right; which is why I am fond of telling folks that I am a big fan of being the “second school in” on technology innovation. Let others blaze the new trail and La Salle will happily follow, learning from their mistakes as well as their achievements. Several Catholic and independent schools in the Southland are experimenting with this technology - both with teachers and their students. Pat and his team are anxiously watching their progress in this regard.


That having been said, Pat and I are keeping ourselves as current as possible with the way the technology winds are blowing. Of particular concern for Pat is the recent announcement by Apple that it is entering the “e-textbook” market. This could accelerate our plans to transition to tablet-based technology. This has prompted his meetings with various textbook publishers. And, while we believe that Apple’s entry into the e-book market is a game changer, it is also very clear that traditional textbook publishers are relying on older business models to inform their approach to tablet technology. One example of this is the - fairly uniform - insistence on “renting” the software to end-users. Where this becomes problematic is in the structure of the financial relationship between supplier and user. Textbook publishers appear to be relying on a college-based relationship in which the end user needs to rent the technology for a minimum of 90 days (the typical length of a college semester). By doubling that number, they appear to have addressed the needs of students using a textbook for two successive semesters. Unfortunately, this is not the model for most private schools in California (in which the maximum number of days of instruction typically exceed 180 days by some small amount). In short, without a modification accommodating private secondary schools, users of tablet-based e-books would find their license to access the entitled software disappearing on the 181st day. A rather unwelcome surprise when a student is preparing for final exams on the 183rd day.

I share this conundrum as a way to illustrate the validity of Goldsmith’s oracular comment about Hollywood, now applicable to the technology needs of secondary schools throughout the Golden State: “nobody knows anything.” In spite of (or perhaps because of) that dynamic, La Salle has been quietly raising an additional $300,000 to prepare the School for the introduction of tablet technology in the classrooms (this is on top of the original, highly successful $500,000 campaign to outfit all classrooms with SMARTBoards and laptop-friendly desks). We are grateful for an anonymous La Salle family who has offered the School $100,000 once we raise the other $200,000. This will enable the School to upgrade its technology infrastructure so that it can support the heavier demand that tablet-based computers will require (for example, without a universal tablet platform currently in place, the School’s servers are running at 100% of capacity at 8pm at night). There are an unknowable number of questions that must be answered before we purchase the first tablet (“Should the School own or rent the technology?” “Who is responsible for lost/damaged tablets?” and… will the “My tablet crashed” become the substitute for the age-old teen-age excuse, “The dog ate my homework?”). I think you get the idea.

I am pleased to report that we are “only” $50,000 away from accomplishing our goal of raising $200,000 in order to receive the $100,000 match. I can assure you that, while we don’t know what’s next in instructional technology; we do know that, at La Salle, we’ll be ready for whatever twist and turn we encounter. With your help we can keep La Salle current with whatever advances educational technology throws at us without leaping before we look.

"Back to the Future"

I was pleased to introduce the next Principal of La Salle, Brother Christopher Brady, FSC, at our recent Back-to-School Night. His appointment concludes a process that began last spring when internal and external constituents were surveyed regarding their perceptions of the strengths and challenges La Salle brings to the next decade. That feedback was analyzed and used to shape a revised job-description for the next principal. The Search Committee, chaired by former Trustee, Dr. Vera Vignes, included representatives from each of the School’s constituencies (administrators, teachers, alums, Trustees, current and past parents and a representative from one of our “feeder schools”) as well as from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Position announcements were sent to all (arch) dioceses on the West Coast as well as to the Christian Brothers Conference. West Coast colleges and universities with schools of education received the announcement as well. National journals, Education Week and Independent School Management, published the position and it was listed with the national consulting firm, Carney-Sandoe & Associates. Given the extensive search process in which over sixty inquiries were generated, the selection of Brother Chris in a time when very few Catholic high schools are fortunate to have a priest, brother or sister as the principal, feels a bit like La Salle has gone "back to the future."

The Search Committee narrowed the list of 60 to ten and then again to three. The three semi-finalists (including Brother Chris) were brought on campus to meet with focus groups representing administration, faculty/staff, parents and students. The Search Committee moved Brother Chris and one other finalist forward for my consideration. Both were extraordinarily accomplished and had stellar recommendations…albeit with very different administrative characteristics and years of experience. Quite frankly, it would have been easier choosing between two similar candidates than with what the Committee presented. In a sense, however, it was a good thing that the two finalists were as different; as it forced me to look at them through the lens of La Salle’s short and long term needs; and, after spending a substantial portion of a day with each of the finalists, I was pleased to offer the position to Brother Chris. In a sense, Brother Chris is coming “home” as La Salle, Pasadena was his first teaching assignment after college.

I want to express my profound gratitude to the Search Committee, especially Dr. Vera Vignes, its chair, for their professional dedication and commitment to maintaining the integrity of the process. By way of tribute to their effort, both finalists, who were not offered the position, voluntarily told me how impressed they were with the process and the respect for La Salle that was engendered in them as participants in the search.

A critical concern for me was the perpetuation of the caring culture that Pat Bonacci, AFSC has nurtured for more than two decades. When I looked at Brother Chris through this lens, I recognized that his background in student services, his exposure to the challenges of significantly larger schools than La Salle, and his incredible commitment - as a Brother - to Lasallian values; it made sense for me to take advantage of his availability in a world woefully devoid of Brothers in ministry. But that wasn’t the only reason I asked Brother Chris to take the position. It is precisely because of his deep background in ministry to students that our students, teachers and parents will be well cared for under the leadership of the next principal. I am confident that the culture of care and concern that is a result of the leadership of Pat Bonacci, AFSC will continue to characterize life at La Salle. And I want Brother Chris to be in a position, which will enable him to work with our dedicated faculty, to consistently address the implications of the uncertain future facing educational institutions in California and which must be met with highly visible strategies that imbue confidence in those who are considering La Salle for their children. We know that a robust high school environment that emphasizes consistently excellent instruction and the delivery of a challenging college-preparatory curriculum will ensure that La Salle will weather the current economic storm as well as positioning itself as “the school of choice in the San Gabriel Valley.”

Because you will soon see the amazing ability Brother Chris has to nurture those entrusted to his care; he will have the freedom he needs to attend to the essential obligation to reinforce the “purchase decision” of our parents, colleagues, students and alums; without sacrificing the special world I like to call the “La Salle Difference.”

I am confident that his dedication to the Christian Brothers, his commitment to an educational process that can transform hearts and his passion for improving the lives of the students entrusted to his care will enable Brother Chris to make a significant impact on the next chapter in the history of La Salle High School.

The Winds of Change

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.

Te Deum Laudamus

Sadly, I had to fly up to Saint Mary’s College to attend the funeral of one of the Christian Brothers - Brother Donald Mansir, FSC (John Blackstock ’67, a college classmate of Brother Donald’s, was asked to be one of the Pall Bearers). Brother Donald began his teaching career here at La Salle Pasadena, where he taught and directed Music for four years. He was well-regarded and a popular teacher. From 1979 to 1986, he was a teacher and administrator at San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno. He left the high school arena in 1986, eventually earning a Ph.D. in Theology and Near Eastern Studies. Brother Donald spent ten years in the Middle East, first as an instructor at Bethlehem University (sponsored by the Christian Brothers), then as a member of the staff of the Apostolic Delegation in Jerusalem (the Pope’s representative in Israel). Brother Donald then joined the staff of the Pontifical Mission for Palestine, eventually becoming its Director in Jerusalem and then Chief Operating Officer of the Mission’s headquarters in New York City. He concluded his service to the Holy Land when he was appointed Director of the New York office of the International Catholic Child Welfare Bureau and Permanent Observer to the United Nations’ UNICEF. He returned to California in 1988 and assumed a faculty position at Saint Mary’s College, where he would remain - happily - for the rest of his life. He succumbed to metastatic cancer just after he turned 62.


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.



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.

That pretty much sums up La Salle’s ideal principal – now on to the challenge of finding that person!

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?

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.



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!