A Watershed Moment

To help our students learn about their faith, grow academically, and become good citizens, we have created a list of Schoolwide Learning Expectations (see below) to assist them in understanding how to achieve these goals. Each week, teachers explain one of the SLEs and talk about how they can demonstrate mastery of this skill. After each pillar (Faith, Knowledge, and Character) students reflect on their progress and identify where they might improve. At the end of last school year, students had the opportunity to review each of their three reflections to determine where they were “glowing” and where they are still “growing.” Teachers then read the students’ final reflections and identified some trends. We observed, across the grade levels, that in the area of Faith, students said they had a difficult time staying focused in Church, but they enjoyed going to Mass. In the area of Knowledge, students believed they were working hard in school and learning. In the third pillar, Character, they shared that they exhibit an attitude of gratitude, but they need to do a better job being nicer to their friends and classmates. It is commendable that our students were able to thoughtfully and accurately evaluate their progress. They could not always identify how to improve, but that they even recognized the need to do better is an important first step.

The first few weeks of this school year have been marred by tragedy. School shootings at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis and Evergreen High School in Denver, as well as the murder of Ukranian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a train in Charlotte, and most recently, the assassination of conservative Christian Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, has shaken us to our core. It is hard to imagine how and why people turn to violence, but it is evident that evil exists in our world. We pray for the victims and their families and, at the same time, we worry about what the future holds. 

These events have prompted us to reflect on and re-evaluate our responsibilities as educators, in hopes that no one in our charge will ever choose a path of destruction. Now, more than ever, we believe that helping our students understand, develop, and practice a life of Faith will give them comfort and strength, not only in moments of joy, but also during times of struggle. We may not be immune from sorrow, but God’s grace will give us the courage to persevere.

Every major Religion in the world has some variation of the Golden Rule. In Christianity, we know it as the Great Commandment, found in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Our students have recognized that they are not always charitable and they sometimes use unkind words or actions toward people they do not like. They learn from the adults around them, so we all need to demonstrate respect to others, even those with whom we disagree. 

Some have suggested this is a watershed moment in history. For the sake of our country, our children, and our grandchildren, it is important that we all reflect on our own words and actions in our daily lives. We can start in our own families, among friends, colleagues, and acquaintances by removing hate from our hearts and embracing one another with love and kindness. 

Deo Gratias, Kathy