With great anticipation, the 2012 school year unfolded with planning, preparation and targeted education focused on the Eucharistic Congress which ushered in the Year of Faith. The diocesan three day inaugural Eucharistic Congress provided the means for the faithful to take part in liturgies, to experience personal time for prayer, to give service to the disenfranchised, to celebrate and to grow deeper in the Catholic faith. For over 8,000 students from Catholic schools, religious education and home school programs, participating in the Friday opening on October 12th, taking part in liturgy and receiving a blessing, hand shake or smile from Bishop O’Connell formed memories to last a lifetime. Students prepared for the event by giving service. They assisted others locally through the donation of canned goods and packaged dried foods for the less fortunate in Burkina Faso, Africa. Students collected $21,804.93 which was used to purchase food to help assuage hunger. Along with singing on stage with the Bishop, it was a defining moment.
Shortly after the Eucharistic Congress, the virtue of faith served as a pillar of strength for those tested by the ravages of Hurricane Sandy. The trifold virtues of faith, hope, and charity helped to sustain those whose lives have been unimaginably changed. Thoughtfulness, kindness and charity were the hallmarks of local parishioners and school children. Friends from across the nation responded in kind through prayer, monetary donations, card writing and donations of specific goods. Aware and responsive to the plight, the diocese supported significantly impacted families through tuition assistance. Over $407,000 has been contributed for tuition assistance by the diocese to assist families who are rebuilding their lives.
The tragic events occurring in Connecticut prompted the Department of Catholic Schools to form a School Security Advisory Council to assess and expand current school safety protocols. Each of our Catholic schools has a detailed security plan developed in consultation with their local police department. Principals, faculty and staff have had crisis training in conjunction with state and local agencies. Steps have been taken in each school to strengthen the security of the facility. Emergency drills are conducted on a monthly basis, as required by law. The drills provide the opportunity to practice, review and assess the emergency protocols so that the drills are engrained and routine. The School Security Advisory Council will review current policy, review school plans and generate recommendations as may be required. The committee is pleased to welcome an individual who was the director of emergency training management for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
With faith in the future, the Commission for the Sustainability of Catholic Schools continues its work through subcommittees charged with finding effective ways to create viability for our schools. The National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools adopted by NCEA, provides a blueprint and a focal point for subcommittees. Through surveys and town hall meetings, input has been widely invited identifying problems and focusing on the solutions that will benefit Catholic schools.
Principals and instructors utilize the Standards as they evaluate their educational programs. In the realm of technology, with iPads, tablets, SmartBoards, classroom computers and labs, technology transforms the classroom into a learning environment which is engaging, rigorous and cutting edge. It is amazing to visit classrooms and see second graders engrossed in a lesson using iPads with the ease and facility of opening a book. The digital natives are primed for amazing educational experiences. We have faith in a future with undefined parameters with the hope that wisdom and virtue will guide all.
The Foundation for Student Achievement, centering on empowering schools in advancement, engaged all elementary schools to create extensive databases for alumni. Through the Catholic Alumni Partnership, alumni will be invited to come home again as they are reunited with their schools and friends. Building relationships and partnerships is essential in enhancing and strengthening our schools. Over 75 percent of alumni have been located from records obtained through the summer collection of graduate information. We express faith in the fruits to unfold from this unique and proven venture.
Fundamental in educating the students whom our Catholic schools serve is the ongoing professional development of teachers. The Department of Catholic Schools is partnering with Georgian Court University in two key initiatives. Elementary and secondary instructors are taking part in a three part series of workshops to discover more about meeting students’ diverse needs and accommodating the distinct ways in which they learn. A second initiative is the formation of a cohort of Catholic school teachers pursuing a Master Degree in Catholic Administration and Leadership. Realizing the need to recognize and tap the talent of our instructors and invite them to consider future administration in Catholic schools, the two and a half year program was launched in January 2013.
As the calendar turns to January and a new year unfolds, it continues to be our faith in what can be, our faith as members of the Church that serves to sustain us in all things. Significant events humble us and we seek to make meaning of life experiences. Through it all, we are sustained and strengthened, knowing that God always provides. We are blessed and supported by the kindness of our neighbors. We are renewed in life’s journey and ever thankful for the gifts of faith and hope and for the bountiful unfolding of charity. Ever changing, ever learning and growing, we put our faith and trust in God.