July 13, 2011 - The Catholic Commentator

Transcription

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The Catholic Commentator • July 13, 2011
Inside:
Bishop Robert W. Muench:
Children provided areas for
growth
Superintendent of Schools
Dr. Melanie Verges: Excellence is
hallmark for schools
Research study indicates high
performance levels for BR
Diocese academic programs
Menard named administrative
head of Redemptorist Schools
Retirement celebration held for
retiring St. Michael principal
Educators to meet in Hammond
before school opens
2B
The Catholic Commentator
BACK-TO-SCHOOL
Excellence is hallmark for schools
Children provided areas for growth
G
reetings and welcome to the new
Catholic school
year, and congratulations
on the choice you have
made. Special thanks to
you parents and guardians, who are investing
in your children’s wellbeing. Your sacrifices are
enabling them to benefit
from a time-honored and
proven program of information, formation and
transformation.
In my years of preparation for and experience in
the ordained ministry, Catholic schools
and the community which comprises it
have been a central focus of personal priority and endeavor. As a seminarian I was
able to attend The Catholic University of
America in Washington, D.C., to pursue
a master’s degree in education alongside
full seminary theological studies. Later,
as a priest, I was assigned to various Catholic schools in capacities that ranged from
teacher, counselor and chaplain to administrator, pastor and diocesan supervisor.
Catholic schools have a unique identity, purpose and mission. They share three
general goals that are holistically one: the
message revealed by God (didache), communion in the life of the Spirit (koinonia)
and service to the Christian community
(diakonia). These goals incorporate the
essential role of prayer and worship.
Catholic schools promote
our
children’s
growth
academically,
psychologically,
emotionally, socially, theologically, spiritually and
morally. Through philosophical design and practical operation, personal
witness, prayer, liturgy,
and instruction in and
outside of the classroom,
the Catholic school is
structured to live the person, message, mission
and ministry of Jesus.
Catholic schools provide an appropriate curriculum, and a
permeating atmosphere and environment
where Jesus is the reason for instruction
about life, as well as preparation for afterlife.
At the onset of this new school year, be
assured of my regard, concern, prayers
and blessings to all of you in the Catholic school community – from our diocesan school office personnel and diocesan Catholic school board, to pastors,
administrators, teachers, staff, members
of school boards and home and school associations, volunteers, alumni and benefactors.
In a most special way, to you, parents
and guardians, and our beloved school
students, I extend most cordial greetings
and best wishes. Happy New School Year,
everyone!
From The Bishop
Bishop Robert W. Muench
Welcome back
to school!
July 13, 2011
H
ow incredible it
was for the Catholic
schools in the
Diocese of Baton Rouge to
achieve District Accreditation through the Southern
Association of Colleges
and Schools (Advanc-Ed)
last February! The honor
of achieving such status
reflects what we have long
known about Catholic
schools in our diocese:
Excellence is the hallmark
of Catholic schools in the
Diocese of Baton Rouge!
There are many ways
that excellence is demonstrated, and the schools
in our diocese have four particular focus
areas in the mission of education: Strong
Catholic Identity, Pursuit of Academic Excellence, Development of the Whole Child
and Creating Caring Communities Rooted in Gospel Values. As we begin the 201112 school year, we will continue to work
toward improvement in all focus areas.
Gains in both religious education and
academic subjects were realized last
spring, as measured by standardized
testing instruments. The Assessment
of Catechesis and Religious Education
(ACRE) indicated that students in the
Diocese of Baton Rouge continue to score
above national norm in all grades tested.
The Terra Nova test results also indicated
exceptional performance and outstand-
ing growth, particularly
in the subject of mathematics. With programs
such as First in Math for
Grades 3- 5, Robotics for
middle school students,
and Science, Technology, Engineering and
Math (STEM) courses on
the high school level, the
Diocese of Baton Rouge
schools are taking steps
toward excellence in preparing students for a technical world.
Faculty members have
demonstrated excellence
in their field by embracing
the challenge of increasing rigor and relevance in their classrooms. These educators will continue to
come together for workshops throughout
the year to increase knowledge of their
craft and subject as well as to share best
practices as colleagues.
Under the leadership of Bishop Robert
W. Muench, who supports and celebrates
the work of the schools, Catholic education has prospered in our diocese. We are
grateful to the bishop, pastors, priests,
school administrators and board members, who have provided excellent support and direction for schools. With our
reliance on the Holy Spirit, great things
will continue in the ministry, giving us
much to celebrate in Catholic education
in the Diocese of Baton Rouge.
From the
Superintendent
Dr. Melanie Verges
Academic Excellence in a “Christ Centered” Environment
Serving Nine Parishes
EA/EI Catholic School Partnership
• St. Theresa, Gonzales
• St. Mark, Gonzales
• St. John, Prairieville
• St. Anthony, Darrow
• St. Anne, Sorrento
• Holy Rosary, St. Amant
• St. Gabriel, St. Gabriel
• St. Stephen, Maurepas
• St. Joseph, French
Settlement
The mission of St. Joseph School is to provide
students with the opportunity to develop their
God-given talents through academic excellence
and to encourage a zeal for their Catholic faith
through prayer and service.
ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC SCHOOL
175 North 8th Street • Ponchatoula, LA
985-386-6421• www.sjscrusaders.org
St. John Primary
37407 Duplessis Road
Prairieville, LA 70769
225-677-8238
St. Theresa Middle
212 E. New River St.
Gonzales, LA 70737
225-647-2803
A Gift for Life
A
July 13, 2011
BACK-TO-SCHOOL The Catholic Commentator
3B5
SLKF students rank first in diocese, second in state in math program
By Laura Deavers
Editor
St. Louis King of France School
ranked first in the Diocese of Baton Rouge and second in Louisiana in the First in Math program
for the school year 2010-11.
Scores are based on the average points per child, so the
school enrollment is not a factor
in ranking.
First in Math is an online, interactive math program in which
students practice, master and
are able to excel in their mathematical computation skills. Designed primarily as an at-home
activity, First in Math tests facts
that students have learned. This
is the first year schools in the Diocese of Baton Rouge have participated in First in Math.
The competition is among students, both in the same school
as well as in other schools, and
within students themselves, explained Mary Clare Polito, St.
Louis King of France principal.
As they worked problems, “students received immediate feedback. They knew if they had gotten the answer right or wrong.
We discovered that some students wanted to beat their own
scores. They wanted to know if
they had improved.”
Students who had finished
their assigned work could go to
computers during the school day
to work on First in Math. Computers were available at recess
for students, and Polito let the
students know when she would
be available in the computer lab
if they wanted to get online then.
Polito said the students’ computation skills increased and
they were able to work problems
assigned to them in class or for
homework faster. “We will do
First in Math next year,” Polito
added.
First in Math awards students
stickers when they do well. Polito
added to the rewards St. Louis
students received, knowing that
recognition brings results.
Students receiving 500 stickers through their online work
would have their name put in
a jar in their classroom. Once
a month one name was drawn
from each jar for a prize. The
top student for each grade each
month also won a prize. Prizes
were St. Louis Dollars, which
students could spend at the field
day at the end of school.
Every morning during student
assembly, the player of the day
from each class would be recognized. “The students would compete to see whose name would be
called out,” said Polito. “They like
being recognized at assembly.”
Pamela Reibert’s third-grade class at St. Louis King of France School was the highest-scoring class in the
First in Math Program in the Diocese of Baton Rouge. With the class are, from left, back row, Reibert, Catholic Schools Superintendent Dr. Melanie Verges and St. Louis Principal Mary Clare Polito. Photo provided by St.
Louis King of France School
St. George School placed second in the Diocese of Baton
Rouge and third in the state,
followed by Holy Family School,
which placed third in the diocese
and fourth in the state. The other diocesan schools that ranked
in the top 25 in the state were:
Catholic Elementary School of
Pointe Coupée, seventh place;
St. Elizabeth, eighth place; St.
Jean Vianney, ninth place; Sacred Heart of Jesus, 11th place;
St. Alphonsus, 12th place; St.
Diocesan students score significantly
higher in TerraNova3 test
Diocese of Baton Rouge students in second through eighth
grades significantly outperformed the national average in
reading, language, mathematics,
science and social studies when
they took the TerraNova standardized test this year.
“We are grateful to the teachers and administrators who have
collaborated to increase rigor and
relevance in all classrooms. The
results of that effort are seen in
the increase in test scores,” said
Catholic schools Superintendent
Dr. Melanie B. Verges.
This spring, the Diocese of
Baton Rouge Catholic Schools
Office hired ECRA Group Inc.,
a national educational research
firm, to work with the staff to
analyze and review TerraNova 3
diocesan and school achievement
test results as part of its annual
assessment program and ongoing plan to maintain and achieve
academic excellence. The ECRA
research study included analysis
of test results for all students in
the Classes of 2011, 2012, 2013,
2014, 2015 and 2016.
The Diocese of Baton Rouge
schools administer the TerraNova
3 to students in grades 2-8 each
spring. TerraNova is a nationally
standardized achievement test
published by CTB McGraw-Hill
and used by public and private
schools across the country. The
Diocese of Baton Rouge schools
tested approximately 7,900 students in grades 2-8 during the
spring 2011 testing program.
On average, the value-added
benefit of the instructional program in diocesan schools is
clearly evidenced in all cases.
Whether student are male or female, gifted, average or in need
of additional coaching and extra
instructional intervention, the
research study indicated that the
longer students attend diocesan
schools the higher they perform
in the academic skills areas of
reading, language, mathematics,
science and social studies.
Nationally, half of the students
across the country are expected
to perform at or above the 50th
percentile. The diocese had
significantly more students in
grades 2-8 who scored above this
national average. In fact:
75 percent of all students tested
in grades 2-8 in diocesan schools
scored at or above the national
average in reading.
80 percent of all students
scored at or above the national
average in language.
71 percent scored at or above
the national average in mathematics.
74 percent scored at or above
the national average in science
76 percent scored at or above the
national average in social studies.
Therese of Avila, 13th place; St.
Joseph, 14th place; Holy Ghost,
15th place; St. John Elementary,
17th place; Ascension Catholic,
19th place; Most Blessed Sacrament, 20th place; Our Lady of
Mercy, 21st place; St. Aloysius,
22nd place; and Redemptorist
Elementary, 25th place.
Pamela Reibert’s third-grade
class from St. Louis King of
France was the top individual
team in the Diocese of Baton
Rouge, placing first out of 100
teams competing. The secondand third-place teams were from
St. Peter Chanel Interparochial
School.
Holy Ghost Catholic School
“Building God’s Kingdom: Every Child, Every Day, In God’s Way”
Mission Statement
To promote a Catholic environment of
loving, learning, and living in Christ, through
academic excellence, gospel values, and a
nurturing community.
Catholic schools do not discriminate on the
basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in
the administration of their educational policies.
Open House: Thursday, October 20 • 4:30 - 7 p.m.
For 6th, 7th and 8th grade girls and their parents
Three-time National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence
3015 Broussard Street • Baton Rouge, LA 70808 • (225) 383-7207
See our mission statement in action. Visit www.sjabr.org
4B
BACK-TO-SCHOOL
July 13, 2011
Menard named administrative head of Redemptorist Schools
By Laura Deavers
Editor
Brian Menard has been named
administrative head of the Redemptorist Schools, which include Redemptorist High School
and Redemptorist Elementary
School.
Other regional diocesan schools
– Ascension and St. John – also
have an administrator who, in
collaboration with the principals,
oversees all grades in the schools.
Menard has recent experience
as president of Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School, a coeducational diocesan-owned high school in
Cleveland, Ohio, cosponsored by
the Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland
and the U.S. Province of the Society of Mary. Prior to joining the
VASJ campus, he was an education consultant in the Cleveland
metropolitan area with experience as an administrator and
teacher at the elementary, middle
and high school levels.
Born in Delaware, Menard
moved several times as a young
man, eventually settling in Seattle, Wash., where his mother’s
family lived.
From the time he was a young
man through his undergraduate
education at Claremont McKenna
College, which is in Claremont,
Calif. between Los Angeles and
San Bernardino, Menard thought
he would be a lawyer. But his
mentors planted ideas of a career in education. “The president
emeritus of the school would call
me in one time each year and
ask me, ‘What are your plans?’ I
would tell him I was going to be
a lawyer,” Menard remembered.
“He would tell me there are financial rewards to being a lawyer, but
there are greater rewards in the
academic life.”
Following graduation, instead
of returning to work at the law
firm in Seattle where he had
worked for four years during
school breaks, Menard spent the
summer as an intern teaching law
and government at the St. Paul’s
School Advanced Studies Program in Concord, N.H., his first
taste of being a teacher.
Still persuaded he wanted to be
a lawyer, Menard moved to Washington, D.C., to work on Capitol
Hill, where he landed a job with
a California congressman, working in the Cannon House Office
Building, one floor above where
his father had worked 30 years
before as a congressional staff
member as well.
On a trip to his alma mater,
Claremont College, Menard visited his congressional law professor, Ward Elliott, who had gone
to law school at the University of
Virginia, and sought his advice on
whether to pursue a law degree or
be a college professor.
Elliott asked him, “What do
you want to do – not should – but
want?”
Menard moved to Charlottes
ville, Va., and enrolled at the University of Virginia to study government and foreign affairs. “I got
my doctorate and wanted to teach
government in higher education,”
Menard said.
With a smile, Menard added,
“God loves it when we make plans
for our lives. God has such a sense
of humor.”
While in Charlottesville, Menard married Audrey Cauley, a
woman with a passion for education, and realized he would once
again change his life plans. “So I
switched from higher education
to K through 12,” Menard added.
Before moving to Cleveland,
he spent four years as an administrator at The Miller School
of Albemarle, a coeducational
boarding and day school outside
Charlottesville. In addition to assuming a broad array of administrative responsibilities at The
Miller School, he taught one or
two advanced placement courses
each year in government and politics and U.S. history, or a course
in government or civics.
He also taught government
and political science at UVA and
Piedmont Virginia Community
Brian Menard
College. He has been involved in
several civic education and public policy endeavors, lectured on
American politics and government to the FBI National Academy’s classes of international law
enforcement officers and served
as a program coordinator for the
UVA Kuwait Diplomacy Institute.
Along the way he earned a master’s in education from the University of Massachusetts, a program he completed online.
As president of Villa Angela-St.
Joseph High School, a position he
held for 2 1/2 years, Menard was
responsible for enrollment, development and school finances,
among other duties. “What we
needed was a vision and an understanding of what was most essential to the school to lead us to
where we wanted to be,” Menard
said of his charge at Villa AngelaSt. Joseph. While there, enrollment increased 60 percent, Menard reported.
Bougére new director of
Redemptorist Special Education
By Laura Deavers
Editor
Shirley Bougére is the new
director of the Redemptorist
Special Education Program that
is on the campus of Redemptorist
Schools of Baton Rouge.
Having 13 years of school
administration experience in
several Catholic schools in the
Diocese of Baton Rouge, Bougére
is excited about the educational
opportunities available to the
students in the special education
program and her role in providing
these students with a quality,
faith-based education.
With her experience and
knowledge of the needs of special
education students, whether
they are on the higher end of
the spectrum as gifted students
or on the lower end where they
have difficulty learning in the
standard class structure, Bougére
Shirley Bougére
said she has many things to offer
Redemptorist students and their
families: experience in working
with special needs students at all
age levels, an understanding of the
uniqueness of each student, and a
well-grounded education in the
Catholic faith. She emphasized
that every child, every person is
made in the image and likeness
See BOURGÉRE page 5B
July 13, 2011
Redemptorist High, Elementary schools merge
meetings with Menard, upper school
principal John Sanders, and lower
school principal Erica Walker. “Successful mergers happen when the various entities all have voices in the process,” said Menard, who previously
led a school in Cleveland, Ohio, that is
also the product of a merger. “Each of
us plays an important role at the Redemptorist Schools of Baton Rouge.
Working together as a team, our task
is not merely to manage the school, but
to lead it in ways that translate what
has been essential through changing
decades in the past into what brings
success for our students today and tomorrow. That perpetuates the legacy
of our alumni through future generations,” Menard said.
Turning Redemptorist High School
and Redemptorist Elementary School
into the Redemptorist Schools of Baton Rouge began with the two school
communities working with consultants last year to explore the best options for school governance. One key
recommendation from that working
group was creating a PK-12 collaborative environment that aligns the
curriculum from early elementary
through 12th grade and shares resources and planning for the benefit
of both upper and lower schools. Each
school maintains its own principal,
while Menard’s position of administrative head was created to focus on
institutional vision, coordination, de-
velopment, marketing and other advancement efforts.
RHS teacher Chris Porche, looks
forward to formalizing the relationship between the schools. “It’s a great
opportunity for us to bridge the gap
with the people of St. Gerard Church,
since they are the ones that founded
both Redemptorist High School and
St. Gerard Elementary School (now
Redemptorist Elementary School after last year’s merger with St. Isidore),
as well as to share resources in ways
that will make both the upper and
lower schools stronger,” said Porche.
The new administrative structure
will be based on the president-principal model, which Menard used at
Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School
in Cleveland.
“With a bigger PK-12 school, we
can allow our principals to oversee
the academic work of the schools
while Mr. Menard focuses on efforts
to advance the institution,” Porche
said. “Rather than taking away from
the St. Gerard ID, bringing everyone
together in one family reinforces the
charism of the Redemptorist priests
and brothers.”
One way that charism will continue
to be manifested is through a continued affiliation with the Redemptorist Special Education Program, run
by the Diocese of Baton Rouge on
the Redemptorist Schools of Baton
Rouge campus.
St. George Catholic School
Living our Faith  Excelling academically
St. George Catholic School is a
Christ-centered, family-oriented
community, with a history and
tradition of excellence. Gospel
values are integrated with
academics within a progressive
curriculum, promoting faith
development through liturgy,
prayer, and service.
Nationally accredited by
AdvancEd (SACS)
† Developmental Kindergarten - 8th Grade
† Qualified, Caring Faculty
† Before & After School Care
† Intramural, CYO & CSAL Athletic Programs
† Gospel values with weekly school Mass
† Spirit of cooperation between faculty, parents & students
† Progressive curriculum that integrates faith & Academics
† Activity classes include Spanish, Robotics, Broadcasting,
Math Enrichment and more
† 51 year history of academic excellence
7880 St. George Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70809
(225) 293-1298
www.st-george.org
Lizette L. Leader, Principal
Rev. Michael Schatzle, Pastor
BOUGÉRE: Program under direction of CSO
FROM PAGE 4B
of God yet has special and distinct qualities, and that
nothing prevents anyone from being a child of God.
The Redemptorist Special Education Program,
which has about 60 students, is under the auspices
of the diocesan Catholic Schools Office, and Bougére
reports to Dr. Melanie Verges, superintendent of
schools. Bougére said the Catholic Schools Office’s
focus for the special education program is to expand
it so more students in the Baton Rouge area who are
in need of this type of education process will be able
to attend.
“I like that this is a challenge that we are all going
into with the same vision and will hopefully see
success,” said Bougére of the commitment she has
received from all associated with the program. As
she talked enthusiastically about her new position,
she said Verges’ enthusiasm for the program and its
success is contagious.
Bougére said the superintendent would like to see
every student in the program graduate with the life
skills and home skills to function in life, have some
means of support and be productive members of the
community.
At Redemptorist, special education students have
their own homerooms, which are in the high school
part of the Redemptorist campus, but attend class in
the elementary, middle and high schools according
to their abilities, not necessarily according to their
age. Students in the program are able to attend and
participate in the various programs and events
sponsored by the Redemptorist Schools of Baton
Rouge, said the new director.
Bougére has a BA in education from LSUNO, which
is now the University of New Orleans, a master’s
in supervision and leadership from Southeastern
Louisiana University, and two years towards a
doctorate in education at Catholic University of
America in Washington, D.C.
St. Louis King of France
Catholic School
The start of the 2011-12 school year
will mark the beginning of the Redemptorist Schools of Baton Rouge.
“This new school will bring together the best of three long standing
traditions in Baton Rouge’s Catholic
schools and merge them into one PK12 institution,” said Brian Menard,
the newly hired administrative head
of the merging schools.
“When schools come together, it
is important that everyone feels a
part of the new community formed,”
said Menard. “We recognize that St.
Isidore and St. Gerard, which came
together as Redemptorist Elementary
School last year, and Redemptorist
High School, which has stood contiguous to the lower school campus for
six-and-a-half decades and educated
countless students from the feeder
schools, will each contribute distinct
elements to the shared culture that
will develop,” he said.
“I have already begun working with
people from all three traditions as we
forge ahead together as one community,” Menard said. “Retired Baton
Rouge Police Chief and RHS Class of
’70 alum Pat Englade captured this
well when he said of our new direction, ‘We are a Catholic neighborhood
school teaching Catholic family values
and producing graduates prepared for
life,’ ” said Menard.
An important step in merging the
two schools has been leadership team
5B5
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6B
BACK-TO-SCHOOL
July 13, 2011
My job is my minstry, says St. Michael’s new principal
By Barbara Chenevert
Staff Writer
Ellen Lee didn’t know St. Michael the Archangel High School
was “the jewel it is” until she visited the campus as part of an accreditation team several years ago.
“When a job as assistant principal opened up there, I applied,”
she said. After serving in that capacity for six years, she begins her
first year as principal in the coming school year.
“I think people are pleasantly
surprised by what they find at St.
Michael. For so long, the school
was working to find its way. Now
the Catholic faith is evident here.
The school integrates the teaching of the faith in the classroom,
on the football field, in club meetings,” she said.
St. Michael, with its enrollment
of 700 students, works to develop the talents of each student:
Their leadership ability might
be brought out on the basketball
court, or their artistry might be
brought out in choir or art class,
she said. “We try to recognize the
gifts of everybody. That’s a special challenge with teenagers who
struggle with self-esteem issues.
At St. Michael, there is a place for
everyone. We feel we are investing in them, working with them to
achieve their best potential, whatever that potential is.”
This year the school hired four
new faculty members, three of
whom are alumni. “That says a
lot. The alumni recognize what
they experienced here and want
to continue that ministry as teachers,” Lee said.
Lee, who has been in education for 31 years, hopes to develop
the technological abilities of the
school by looking at where technological changes can fit into the
classroom as a tool for teaching
and learning.
This year the school instituted
a forensics class, along the lines
of the “CSI” television series. “We
will have much more science behind it. It might sound glamorous,
but it will involve reasoning and
critical thinking,” she said.
A school improvement plan calls
for the school to put more emphasis on science and math achievement, which Lee said is a weakness in every school in the nation.
She hopes to take steps to improve
critical thinking and the rigor and
relevance of those subjects in the
classroom. The teachers are taking some planned-out steps, such
as practice tests for standardized
tests and planning out questions
on tests.
The school is also working to
increase its Catholic identity in
the entire St. Michael community.
The school motto, Veritas, Fides,
Ministerium, means truth, faith
and service. “What that means
is we seek the truth. It is not just
a word, but action. We live faith
and talk about what it means
with teachers, students and parent groups. And we serve as Jesus
did,” she said.
Lee also hopes to address the issues of bullying, which she said is
very different from bullying that
went on in her school days. “Over
the Internet, you write something,
but you can’t see the expression of
the person who is reading it. You
can’t see the hurt. We want to educate the students about the use of
social networking.”
Other long-range plans for the
school include construction of a
multipurpose building, an upgrade to its athletic practice facilities and other grounds improvements.
Lee said she was brought up in
an environment of service. Her
grandmother was a teacher and
her grandfather was fire chief of
Baton Rouge. Her mother raised
five children and volunteered to
teach art class for the Sisters of
Charity.
Ellen Lee
“This is something I love. My job
is my ministry. My kids ask why I
get up excited about going to work
each day. It is a special gift – something new every day. A teacher can
make a difference in a student’s
life and not even know it.”
Lee and her husband, Stephen, have three children and
one grandchild. Lee attended St.
Thomas More Elementary School,
St. Joseph’s Academy and LSU,
where she received a bachelor’s in
math education and a master’s in
educational leadership. She has
taught in schools in Texas and California and at St. Thomas More
and St. Joseph’s in Baton Rouge.
She enjoys gardening and fishing.
Harvey takes over at CHS
Lisa Harvey became principal
of Catholic High School in Baton
Rouge on July 1, becoming the
first woman to hold that position
at the all-boys Catholic school.
Serving with Harvey and forming the administrative team for
2011-12 are Tom Eldringhoff, academic assistant principal; Jason
Hanks, assistant principal for instruction; and Brian Hightower,
assistant principal for discipline.
Harvey, who taught in Catholic High for 11 years and at St.
John Interparochial School in
Plaquemine for six years, has
served as academic assistant
principal at CHS since 2004. In
2002, she was named chairperson the religion department, after teaching religion at the high
school for two years. The next
year she was named to the administrative team as assistant
principal for instruction. Harvey
was also moderator of the dance
team at Catholic High, Bruinettes.
She has a bachelor’s degree
from LSU and a master’s in religious education from Loyola University in New Orleans.
“It is an honor and privilege to
serve Catholic High School. My
primary goal will be to continue
and make visible on a daily basis
Lisa Harvey
the charism of the Brothers of
the Sacred Heart as we continue
to live out the mission of CHS.
Catholic High will continue to
be a leader in the formation of
young men in the Baton Rouge
area because of the dedicated
faculty and staff who work so
hard every day,” commented
Harvey.
“Lisa wholeheartedly embraces the educational charism of the
Brothers of the Sacred Heart. She is passionate about advancing the academic quality of CHS,
and she has a clear vision for how
to incorporate best practices into
what is already recognized as a
tradition of excellence at CHS,”
commented Catholic High President Gene Tullier.
July 13, 2011
7B5
Mater Dolorosa principal promotes school, community partnership
Staff Writer
Independence may be a small
rural community, but if Mater
Dolorosa Principal Linda Wisinger has her way, the school
and the town will work together to preserve their rich traditions.
“I want the school, the priest
and the community to know
that we are all one family. Most
of the families here are Italian.
The young will sometimes let
the traditions fall by the wayside. I see the importance of
continuing those traditions,”
she said.
So students at Mater Dolorosa take part in the town’s
Fourth of July celebration, participate in the St. Joseph procession marking the feast of St.
Joseph and regularly pray for
the sick of the community.
Wisinger, nicknamed by her
students as Mrs. Y, took over as
principal of the school with an
enrollment of 165 on July 1.
Mater Dolorosa is a friendly,
family-oriented school, she said.
“We’re small, but everybody
knows everybody. The eighth
grade knows the pre-kindergarten. The seventh graders know
the kindergarten. Everybody cooperates. I know it’s the Catholic
tradition to be like family, but I
see it more here than anywhere
else I have been,” she said.
Wisinger hopes to increase
the enrollment of the school
and to offer more opportunities
for students to participate in
clubs, such as drama, and athletics, such as soccer. This year,
the school will have a part-time
teacher to offer Spanish to seventh and eighth grades, and she
hopes to bring the language into
the school full-time. A parent
will also teach music and art in
the coming school year.
Already the school is seeing
some physical improvements,
with remodeling and freshening up of the 1921 school building. Wisinger said she hopes to
convert part of the kindergarten
classroom into space to start
a Pre K-3 class by the 2012-13
school year.
Although she is in administration, Wisinger said she still
enjoys the students and even tutors some of them. “I don’t want
to get completely away from
what the teachers do. I don’t
want to lose touch. I have no
problem taking a class for a day
if a teacher has an emergency.
Linda Wisinger
I like being with the students
again,” she said.
Wisinger has a bachelor’s degree in secondary education
from Southeastern Louisiana
University and a master’s from
Loyola University in Education
Administration and Supervision. She taught at Trist Middle
School in St. Bernard Parish for
12 years and at St. Mark Catholic School in Chalmette for 20
years, until Hurricane Katrina
destroyed the school and her
home. Her family lived with
one of her three sons in Texas
while rebuilding their home,
and she did some substitute
teaching there, she said. She
returned to Ponchatoula, where
her family had rebuilt, and she
filled in for teachers who were
on maternity or sabbatical leave
until she came to Mater Dolorosa in 2009 as an eighth-grade
teacher.
She said she loves gardening on her acre lot located in
a wooded area where she can
watch the birds and the rabbits.
“I came from being a city girl.
Now I live in the country,” she
said.
St. Aloysius School
Established 1956
Educating the whole child in the Catholic tradition
for a life of meaning and purpose
2025 Stuart Avenue Baton Rouge, LA 70808
www.aloysius.org
8B
BACK-TO-SCHOOL
Bus schedules won’t
change this year
By Laura Deavers
Editor
“We are safe for this year,”
was Catholic Schools Superintendent Dr. Melanie Verges’
answer when asked about the
busing situation in East Baton
Rouge Parish.
In June, the East Baton
Rouge Parish School Board
looked at having some parochial schools start 30 minutes
later as a way to save money on
transportation. The issue was
shelved when the Diocese of
Baton Rouge and some School
Board members opposed the
idea, which would have reportedly saved the school board $2
million.
“We have already given a half
hour,” said Verges in an inter-
view July 5. Instead of starting school at 8 a.m., Catholic
elementary schools start at
8:30. “They want us to adjust our school day to 9 to 4,
which is too late in the day,”
said Verges, who attended the
July 15 East Baton Rouge Parish School Board meeting. She
has been invited to be a member of a committee to look at
transportation options and has
attended one organizational
meeting with St. Jude Principal Karen Jakuback, Our Lady
of Mercy Principal Tina Villa
and Assistant Superintendent
of Catholic Schools Deacon Joseph Scimeca.
“Our parents deserve transportation for their children because they are saving the East
See BUS page 9B
July 13, 2011
Sacred Heart of Jesus has new principal
By Laura Deavers
Editor
Being named principal of Sacred Heart of Jesus School was
an answer to prayer for Joan
Hutson.
The former principal of St.
Gerard Majella School and coprincipal of Redemptorist Elementary, the school that was
formed when St. Gerard and
St. Isidore School merged last
year, said she had been thinking
about moving for a few years.
“Last year with the merger of St.
Gerard and St. Isidore schools, it
was not the time because it was
a critical time for the school.
This year with the merger of
(Redemptorist) elementary and
(Redemptorist) high school, and
with the change in governance,
it was a good time,” explained
Hutson.
“God moves us around, he
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puts us where he wants us,” Hutson said reflectively. “The pieces
have come together and I feel
God’s hand in it. When opportunity opens up, he puts us where
we can serve and be a part of the
mission.”
Hutson said she visited Sacred
Heart many times during the
spring so she could get to know
the faculty and staff. “Sacred
Heart is a wonderful place,” she
said excitedly. “It is a Catholic
school with strong academics,
strong spirituality, strong tradition. It is obvious it has dedicated people with rich tradition
– from the pastor to the school to
the community.”
School enrollment is 520 in
the Pre-K through eighth grade.
Each grade level has two sections, except for kindergarten,
which Hutson said has three.
She anticipates an increased
enrollment, since more Catholic families are moving into the
geographic boundaries of Sacred
Heart Church parish. But Sacred Heart has drawn students
from outside the parish church
boundaries for decades.
An exceptionally large number
of very good applications have
come in for this upcoming year,
Hutson said, adding, “We don’t
want to turn down parents who
Joan Hutson
want (their children) to be in our
school.”
A graduate of St. Joseph’s
Academy, where she was taught
by the Sisters of St. Joseph, Hutson feels a strong connection to
Sacred Heart, where the Sisters
of St. Joseph were the first religious order to staff the school.
Under her leadership, Sacred
Heart will focus on widening
the use of technology, along with
achieving the goals and improving in areas that were recommended as part of the SACS accreditation.
Hutson has hired Linda Nola
to be her assistant principal.
Nola has been a teacher at Our
Lady of Mercy for the past six
years.
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July 13, 2011
Retirement celebration held for retiring St. Michael principal
On the afternoon of June 5, a retirement party was held to honor Myra T.
Patureau for her more than 40 years of
service to the Catholic Diocese of Baton
Rouge. For the past four years Patureau
has been principal of St. Michael the
Archangel High School.
Lifelong friends, relatives, current
and past co-workers from the schools
where she has served – St. Michael, St.
Isidore and St. John schools – all gathered to congratulate Patureau and wish
her well in the future. Other attendees
included former students, classmates
from Redemptorist High School as well
as distinguished guests, such as Bishop Robert Muench, Superintendent of
Catholic Schools Dr. Melanie Verges,
Father Jerry Martin and Sister Carla
Candella.
Filling the room were photos of Patureau during her time with the St.
Michael Warrior family. Photographs
included “touching pearls and waving”
while riding in the annual homecoming
parade, the 25th anniversary Mass, the
successful completion of SACS accreditation, St. Michael athletes signing college letters of commitment, spirit days
and many other events that took place
during her time as principal.
tureau received a fishing trip getaway
as well as other gifts, and offered words
of wisdom to her successor, Ellen Lee,
and the other administrators, including
the new assistant principal of academics,
Julie Lechich.
MERCY
person in the schools of the Diocese shall,
on the basis of sex, be excluded from
participation in, or be denied the benefits
of, or be subjected to discrimination under
any education program or activity except
as permitted under said Title IX.
Finally, the schools of the Diocese of
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, have adopted
and will implement the imperatives of the
Family Educational Rights and Privacy
Act as amended, and will inform parents
and students of their rights under this
amendment to Title VI of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964.
Our Lady of Mercy School provides
Catholic foundations for a life of
Prayer, Knowledge, and Service.
You may visit us at:
www.olomschool.org
The above stated policy applies to the following schools and institutions of the
Diocese:
Ascension Diocesan Regional School
St. Aloysius School
Catholic High School (Baton Rouge)
St. Alphonsus School
Catholic Elementary School of
Pointe Coupée
St. Elizabeth Interparochial School
Catholic High School of Pointe Coupée
St. Francis Xavier School
EA/EI Partnership
– St. Theresa School
– St. John Primary School
St. George School
St. Jean Vianney School
St. John Elementary School
Holy Family School
St. John High School
Holy Ghost School
St. Joseph School
Mater Dolorosa School
St. Joseph’s Academy
or call
(225) 927-2341
to schedule a visit.
Limited openings
available for the
2011-12 school year.
Most Blessed Sacrament School
St. Jude School
Our Lady of Mercy School
St. Louis King of France School
Redemptorist Elementary School
St. Michael the Archangel Diocesan
Regional High School
Redemptorist Diocesan Regional
High School
St. Peter Chanel Interparochial School
Sacred Heart of Jesus School
St. Thomas Aquinas Diocesan Regional
High School
Special Education at Redemptorist
Campus
– Guardian Angels Program
– Career Education Program
St. Thomas More School
Signed: Dr. Melanie B. Verges,
Superintendent
FROM PAGE 8B
Baton Rouge (Parish) School Board a lot
of money,” Verges stated. “Buses might
not be the primary issue.”
Transportation is provided to Catholic
school students by the civil parish school
system. Catholic students receiving transportation live in the geographic boundaries for enrollment established by each
school, which for elementary school is the
church parish boundary. Consequently,
transportation to Catholic schools is more
efficient than for public schools, which
might draw students from many areas of
the civil parish, Verges explained.
When local school boards received state
funding to pay for student transportation, the East Baton Rouge Parish School
Board was given $1.5 million to operate
its buses. “They didn’t worry about it,”
said Verges. “Now that the state funding
has been cut, they are worried.”
Verges added, “A lot of cuts are being
made and we are sensitive to what they
are going through.”
“We are letting our parents know what
is going on. We are being open and up
front so they know what is at stake,” Verges said of her position to represent the
parents of Catholic school students. “We
are advocating for our parents.”
Our Lady of
Statement of Policy
The schools of the Diocese of Baton
Rouge, Louisiana, admit students of any
race, color, national and ethnic origin to all
rights, privileges, programs and activities
generally accorded or made available
to students at its schools. They do not
discriminate on the basis of race, color,
national and ethnic origin in administration
of educational policies, admissions
policies, scholarship and loan programs,
and athletic and other school administered
programs.
Additionally, in compliance with Title
IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, no
BUS: Schedules won’t change
Back To School Issue
Bishop Robert Muench
of Catholic Schools Dr. Melanie Verges
1/4andVSuperintendent
- 4 3/4 x 6.5
wish Myra Patureau, center, well in her retirement, and thank her for more than 40
Due Date: July 6, 2011
years of service as an administrator, teacher, coach, librarian, moderator and more to
2011
the Catholic Diocese Publication
of Baton Rouge. PhotoDate:
provided by July
St. Michael13,
High School
The afternoon was preceded by an
end-of-year farewell luncheon with the
St. Michael faculty and staff, which was
highlighted by a video featuring goodbyes similar to those surrounding the
recent retirement of Oprah Winfrey. Pa-
9B5
Pre-K - Eighth Grade
Certified Teachers  Clubs
Athletics  Spanish
Computer & Science Labs
Band & Choir  Extended Care
Our Lady of Mercy School does not discriminate on
the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin.
400 Marquette Avenue

Baton Rouge, LA

225-924-1054
10B The Catholic Commentator
BACK-TO-SCHOOL
July 13, 2011
Cain will coordinate curriculum
Staff Writer
158 Years of Catholic Education in the Plaquemine Community
Preserving the Past
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Preparing for the Future
St. John Interparocial School, 24250 Regina St., Plaquemine (225) 687-6616
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Catholic Schools do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national, or ethnic origin
in the administration of their educational policies.
Heidi Cain comes to the Catholic Schools Office in the new
position of curriculum coordinator.
“I’m definitely excited to get
started,” she said. “I want to
continue the rich tradition of
excellence that Catholic education has and will continue to
provide.”
Her first order of business will
be to meet with principals and
teachers to see “what is going on
now,” and to meet with Superintendent Dr. Melanie Verges and
Assistant Superintendent DeaconJoe Scimeca to understand
their vision for Catholic schools
and “go forth from there.”
“I see my job as maintaining
and renewing. I want to support
the teachers in classroom instruction and preparation, making sure they have the resources
they need to effectively teach,”
she said.
Cain obtained a master’s of
education in curriculum and
instruction with an emphasis
in reading from Nicholls State
University in 2007 and a bachelor of science degree from LSU
Heidi Cain
in 2002. She attended St. Mary’s
Dominican High School in New
Orleans.
She taught school in Houma
for five years and for the past
three years has been coordinator of reading for the East Baton
Rouge public school system.
“I’m excited to give back to the
education system that molded
me and prepared me for who I
am today,” she said.
She said she doesn’t foresee
major changes in the near future, but wants to learn how the
system is operating now and
what her new job will encompass. “It’s wide open,” she said.
“I want to coordinate services
across the diocese.”
Cain said she feels she has
more to offer in school administration, rather than the classroom. “Through life and my different activities, I held different
leadership positions. After getting my master’s degree, I felt I
could help more teachers than
just those at my grade level or in
my school.”
Verges said Cain would be responsible for professional development. She will look at the data
from each school to determine
what they need to do to improve.
“All of our schools are site
based, which is a good thing
and a bad thing. If a school has
a weak curriculum, it has to pull
up. She will be able to help them
by teaching the teachers how to
effectively teach the course,” the
superintendent said.
“When we look at our mission
statement, it says, ‘support academic excellence through positive communication.’ Academic
excellence is what the person
we just hired will be responsible
for,” Verges said. “She will work
with the schools – setting the
curriculum – to help all of the
schools, so when the tide rises,
everyone in the boat goes with
the tide and rises.”
See CAIN page 11B
Rushing charged with finding grants for schools
Staff Writer
Dona Rushing will surely be
popular with Catholic school
teachers and principals. Her job
is to find grants to fund special
programs in the schools – a job
she hopes to tackle by giving
150 percent.
“I’ve never been a 9-to-5 person. I am always looking and
searching to find every opportunity for the schools. It sounds
trite, but in the end it’s all for
the children,” Rushing said.
Rushing comes to the Catholic
Schools Office on Aug. 1 as program support coordinator. She
said her first order of business
would be to get information on
what grants the schools already
have and what grants they are
interested in getting. She said
monies are available from many
sources to fund school projects,
but it takes someone to identify
the grant opportunities and apply for them.
“First I am going to memorize the schools, then I will be
working with principals and
teachers, advising them on what
grants are available and searching for new grants,” she said.
Rushing has a political science
degree from Loyola University,
a master’s in public administration from the University of
New Orleans and her teacher’s
certification from the Louisiana
Resource Center for Education.
She has worked in finance,
grant writing, public policy and
teaching. “I think I have a good
combination (of experience) for
the type of position I am assuming. I can see from both sides,”
she said.
Rushing taught for two years
in the public school system,
where she said she and her husband would buy school supplies
and uniforms for some students
whose families couldn’t afford
them.
Teaching in that environment “truly touched my heart,”
she said. It’s all about inspiring
those children who find little
inspiration at home. She said
she would form a family com-
Dona Rushing
munity in the classroom and
try to show the students what
appropriate behavior is in a
family.
Rushing said she feels her
new job will be another opportunity to help more children by
identifying additional grants so
that schools can start or expand
programs. “I want to provide
support in the office and to the
principals,” she said.
Rushing and her husband,
Steve, have three children, who
attend Catholic school.
July 13, 2011
11B
5
Our Lady of Mercy School hosts
Adventures in Reading Extravaganza
By definition, reading is the action or
practice of a person who reads – a fairly
simple explanation for one of the most
important tools one can possess for success in life. Our Lady of Mercy School
recognizes that for some, reading is a
wonderful source of entertainment. For
others, it may be just a subject in school
that makes the journey to becoming a
proficient reader less enjoyable. Regardless of where one falls on the spectrum,
reading is a necessary tool, and finding
avenues to make the journey more engaging requires creativity and innovation.
OLOM embarked on a yearlong journey
to make reading an exciting adventure
for students at all grade levels, as well as
the faculty and staff of the school. Added
exposure to reading evolved through various methods, including class field trips
to Barnes & Noble, Accelerated Reading
challenges with administrators, a “Stop,
Drop and Read” week for all members
of the school, and assistance to students
in obtaining a library card to the public
library. In addition, the school expanded
its educational goal of developing readers
through summer reading to include all
grade levels.
The culminating activity was the Adventures in Reading Extravaganza held
near the close of the school year. The
adventurous afternoon was planned and
executed with the help of teachers and
numerous parent volunteers. The entire
afternoon included activities for students
in Pre-K through eighth grade.
Pre-K through first-grade students
dressed in costume as their favorite storybook characters. Second and third
graders were introduced to books read
by the eighth-grade students, which included “The Hobbit,” “Treasure Island,”
“Frankenstein,” “Sword of the Rightful King,” and “Tom Sawyer.” Under the
guidance of their teachers, these students
created activities to bring these novels to
life for the younger students. Some of the
activities included making hand puppet
monsters and creating jeweled crowns.
The majestic feats of the knights of King
Arthur’s court were also incorporated
into the day’s events.
Fourth graders read “James and the
Giant Peach,” fifth graders read “The Ad-
Our Lady of Mercy School second graders
Harlan Hamilton, Ricky Juarez, Berk Jones
and Virginia Jenkins put the finishing
touches on their hand puppet monsters
which were created during an activity
guided by eighth-grade students during
the Adventures in Reading Extravaganza.
This activity was associated with the reading of “Frankenstein.” Photo provided by Our Lady
of Mercy School ventures of Sherlock Holmes,” and sixth
graders experienced a sample of “local”
literature as they enjoyed reading “My
Louisiana Sky.” Activities associated with
these books included a clue hunt across
the campus and an old-fashioned sock
hop in the school gymnasium. Following the completion of “The Diary of Anne
Frank,” seventh graders researched radio
programming from the 1940 era and put
together radio shows in this fashion to entertin the enthusiastic first-grade classes.
“The goal of the extravaganza was to
find ways to improve reading comprehension and ultimately writing skills,” said
Mari Buzbee, Our Lady of Mercy development director. “The reading activities
encouraged students to find the enjoyable, interesting and unexpected things
that transpire when one reads, especially
when it is a noted work. The school feels
the objectives for the event were met, and
plans to host an extravaganza next year
which will further the educational goals
of the project.”
CAIN: Creating curriculum for diocesan Catholic schools
FROM PAGE 10B
Cain said she will also be looking at how technology fits into
the classroom. “There are different pathways to the brain to help understand
content. When we look at resources at
school, we need to look at how technology affects student achievement,” she
said.
Cain said her experience has shown
that technology can aid learning. As a
classroom teacher, she added, she went
from using a projector to having an interactive white board that allowed the students to become more actively engaged
in the subject matter.
Cain and her husband, Michael, have
two children.
RAISING FUNDS FOR CRS – David Aguillard of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, center, is with Our Lady of Mercy students following a
school liturgy held at the close of the 2010-11 school year. Aguillard spoke to
students following a presentation of donations made to Catholic Relief Services for Operation Rice Bowl and for victims of the March 11 earthquake and
tsunami in Japan. He spoke of the importance of students sharing in the common Catholic mission to serve those in need. With Aguillard are, front row,
from left, Charles Roemer, Jonathan Hayes, Emma Coghlan, Isabella Canova,
Paxton Greenand Mickey Lin; back row, Emma Callegan, Dylan Meche, Nick
Priddy and Sean McGoey. Students raised $2,872.36. Photo provided by Our Lady of
Mercy School
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BACK-TO-SCHOOL
July 13, 2011
SHS fourth-grade service project helps feed elderly
Six senior citizens do not have to worry about having
food to eat for the next year. Fourth-graders at Sacred
Heart of Jesus School have taken care of that need.
Every year SHS fourth-graders hold a bake sale for the
entire student body and faculty as their service project.
All items in the sale are homemade and donated, and all
proceeds benefit the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank’s
adopt-a-senior program. Students raised $600, which
will provide food for the six senior citizents for the next
year.
The bake sale gives students an opportunity to learn
business principles as they handle advertising and sales
for the project. Publicity assignments include writing
advertising copy to promote the sale, public speaking to
make presentations to other classes and creating advertising posters to place around campus. On the day of the
fund raiser, students stock and restock items and handle
all sales.
Project coordinators are fourth-grade teachers Carla
Lewis and Lisa Perry. Perry is an avid baker who provides a variety of items for the sale.
Perry first heard of the Greater Baton Rouge Food
Bank’s adopt-a-senior program through an article in The
Advocate by former food editor Tommy Simmons.
“Each week our students respond beautifully to the
needs of our Sacred Heart of Jesus Conference of St.
Vincent de Paul by providing non-perishable items at our
schoolwide Mass,” said Perry. Food provided to the local
conference benefits those in need who live within Sacred
Heart of Jesus Church parish boundaries.
“However, Sacred Heart of Jesus School is special
because our school families come from seven civil parishes,” Perry continued. “We researched the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank and discovered the organization
serves an 11-parish area. We could use the food bank to
help us reach out to those in need in outlying (civil) parishes where many of our students live.”
According to Erin Swenson, vice president of communications, public relations and special events for the food
bank, the adopt-a-senior program provides a 40- to 50pound box of non-perishable food items every month for
one year, allowing seniors who have limited incomes to
stretch their budget so they do not have to choose between purchasing medication, paying utility bills and
buying food.
“When I heard about the program, I was amazed to
learn that it would take only $100 to feed a senior for one
year,” said Perry.
Parent response is always overwhelming and the event
generates an abundance of home-baked items, noted
Perry. “The children always get so excited about this
project. They can barely contain themselves until the
money is counted. Cheers could be heard through the entire building when the children learned they had raised
$600,” said Perry.
Rising SHS fifth-graders Tori Crockett and Luke
Romano both worked in advertising for the project,
which was held in May. Crockett visited classrooms
to tell other students about the fund raiser. “I felt really proud helping with the sale, and I loved seeing
all the people give money to help the seniors,” she
said. Romano created posters for display and said he
Sacred Heart School fourth-grade teacher Carla Lewis,
second from right, and students, from left, Reaso Siah,
Collin Prescott and Dylan Sarrazin, prepare a sale to fifthgrader Mary Madeline Gusky at the annual bake sale to
benefit the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. Photo provided
by Sacred Heart School
felt good about helping seniors in need.
“We commend and applaud (the fourth-graders) on
their generous spirit and giving back to our community
to those who are less fortunate,” said Swenson.
ȼȎI¡ÊȨȎǌĘȎȦÊĉƴĉǅÊĉ
SINCE 1960
Mission Statement
“St. Thomas More Catholic School is committed to continuing a
legacy of excellence in religious and academic education in a
nurturing environment that fosters self-discipline.”
† Faith Formation
† Academic Excellence
† Nurturing Environment
Kindergarten – Eighth Grade
www.stmbr.org
3-year-old Program through 12th Grade
11400 Sherbrook Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70815
225-275-2820
July 13, 2011
13B5
St. Theresa School uses robotics to prepare students for future
At a time when technology
changes so rapidly that it becomes outdated almost as fast
as it is created, St. Theresa
School strives to make sure its
students are prepared for the
future through a curriculum
that promotes critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. One of the methods used
to promote these abilities is the
study of robotics.
When school starts next
month, St. Theresa seventh
graders will enter the world of
robotics through a program
designed to help students
grasp science, technology, engineering and math concepts
through motivating hands-on
LEGO®
MINDSTORMS®
NXT robotic building sets. By
constructing robots and learning the programming software
that makes the robots move,
the seventh graders will be
challenged to use science and
technology skills to nurture
innovation while building selfconfidence, communication and
leadership abilities.
The seventh graders are first
given the challenge of constructing the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT robots, work
ing in teams and using their
imagination to solve problems.
The teams follow proper scientific procedures by detailing
the building process with written and photographic documentation.
Equally imperative, the students learn the importance of
working as a team to handle
complications or triumphs,
which reinforces how to become better at cooperating,
communicating and thinking
collaboratively.
Once the robots are built, students move into programming
for the robots. They use software to plan, test and modify
sequences of instructions for
a variety of life-like robotic behaviors. The LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT software is
a user-friendly, icon-based interface that allows “drag and
drop” programming.
For those seventh and eighth
graders wishing to take on
further challenges in learning the many possibilities
with the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT robots, St.
Theresa School has a Robotics
Club. Last school year, this club
competed in the first LEGO®
League Body Forward™ Challenge, where teams explored
the cutting-edge world of biomedical engineering. In thefirst LEGO® League Food Factor Challenge, set for this fall,
teams will build, test and program an autonomous robot using LEGO® MINDSTORMS®
NXT robots to solve a set of
food safety missions as well
as research, develop and share
their innovative food safety solutions.
St. Theresa School Robotics
Club also had the unique opportunity to see a robotic-guided plasma cutter in action on a
field trip to PAX, Inc. in Gonzales. Thanks to the kindness
of PAX, Inc.’s Bill Kitto and
Randy Braud, the club watched
Ascension cAtholic
DiocesAnDonaldsonville,
RegionAl
school
LA
(225) 473-9227 or (225) 473-8540
PK3-12
A Catholic Christian Community Preparing
Students for a Life as Disciples of Christ.
A Fully Accredited Institution
–Religious Education
–Academic Excellence
–Quality Extra-Curricular Programs
We are a
nondiscriminatory
school in accordance with
Title IX of the
Civil Right’s Act of 1964.
Bill Kitto, left, from PAX, Inc. shows St. Theresa School Robotics Club members, from left, Jeffrey Kelley, Jack
Fuqua, Kory Waguespack, Brent Logarbo and Ana Britton a piece of steel cut using the robotic-guided
plasma cutter while Eugene Britton looks on, behind Logarbo. The Robotics Club went on a field trip to
PAX, Inc. to learn how robotics can be used in the business world. Photo provided by St. Theresa School
in fascination as the plasma
cutter went through half-inch
steel to create a sign for the
club saying “STA Warrior Robotics” and learned some of
the ways robotics are used in
business today.
Along with helpful robotic
workshops through the Diocese of Baton Rouge, the Robotics Club also competed
in the 2011 Diocese of Baton
Rouge Robotics Challenge,
where the club received two
awards.
St. Theresa School is com-
mitted to preparing its students for the future. With
robotics, students are challenged to use their imagination, try out their problemsolving skills and develop vital
communication skills to ensure their future success.
BACK-TO-SCHOOL
July 13, 2011
Ascension art students draw convent building
Students in the After School Art program at Ascension
Catholic Elementary School were told about the history
of the most distinctive building on their school campus,
“the convent” and then expressed in various art media
what they had learned about this building.
The three classes of art students, who are in first
through fifth grades, meet once a week for an hour and a
half. MaryBeth Garic, the art teacher at Ascension Catholic, gives them instruction and guidance in the principles and elements of art while the students share the
company of other children who enjoy creative activities.
To prepare for their art project, the students studied
the history of the building, which has been in constant
use since the horse and buggy days 161 years ago, when it
was built. Garic took the students on a tour of the school
grounds so they could compare the way the building appears now with old photographs of the campus and of the
Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph, who founded the Donaldsonville school and were its first teachers.
The Sisters of St. Joseph later became known as the
Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, and are
often remembered for their distinctive religious habit.
The religious sisters who brought Catholic education to
Donaldsonville in 1845 when they opened St. Vincent
Institute, which later became Ascension Catholic School,
left in 1987. Today the school is under the auspices of the
Diocese of Baton Rouge. Many members of the Ascension school staff and faculty are graduates of the school,
as are many members of their families.
As the students toured the inside of the convent, they
learned that over the years this landmark building had
Student Madelyn Mistretta practices getting all of the details of the oldest building on the Ascension School campus into her drawing of the convent. Photo by MaryBeth Garic |
Ascension Catholic Schools
been used as a residence for the religious sisters, a hospital, a shelter during the Civil War when many other
buildings in Donaldsonville had been destroyed, and
an asylum for orphaned children of people who died of
yellow fever. Today, the students’ art classes are being
taught in these same rooms.
“During the project, it was thrilling to point to a window in a photograph taken over a century ago and then
point to a window in the room where we were working
and say, ‘That window is this window!’ The exact window,” said Garic. “The children enjoyed learning that
they were a part of a long unbroken heritage that has
been a mainstay in the Donaldsonville community and
Catholic education.”
The art students used photographs, artists’ renderings and prints for reference as they prepared their own
artwork. They used small chalkboards or scrap paper to
practice drawing how they would represent what they
saw in the old building and the configuration of the architectural details.
“They weren’t guided through the drawing, but were
given tips and techniques to use,” said Garic. “They were
allowed to choose their medium and make their own interpretation. They did so with a variety of supplies we
have used throughout the school year.”
Students could portray either the front of the old convent building, which is no longer visible from the street
since another building was constructed in front of it, or
the rear, which is the more familiar facade.
The students were able to display their projects at their
school’s honor assembly May 25.
St. Jean
Vianney
CATHOLIC SCHOOL
Academic Excellence in a Community of Faith
• Strong Catholic Formation
& Christian Environment
• Challenging K-8 Academic Program
• Full Sports and Club Offering
• Extended-Day Program Available
Limited Spaces Available
Wendy Gilmore, Principal
16266 Harrell’s Ferry Road
225.751.1831
www.stjeanvianneyschool.org
Admits qualified students regardless of race, color, sex, or national origin.
July 13, 2011
15B5
Anti-bullying focus at schools response to growing problem
By Carol Zimmermann
Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON – Although bullying is
nothing new, efforts to curb it are still in
uncharted territory, especially in today’s
digital age, when the scope of bullying extends far beyond school hallways or playgrounds.
Bullying is often a topic of discussion
at school meetings and educational seminars and has also come under the federal
government’s umbrella, with guidelines
released last fall calling certain acts of bullying potential civil rights violations.
But despite all the talk, destructive and
harassing behavior is still rampant and
able to cause almost instant damage with
a simple text message, Facebook update or
e-mail.
A new study published in the February
edition of the American Sociological Review says today’s bullies aren’t necessarily
the most popular students but rather tend
to be those who want to be popular.
“By and large, status increases aggression, until you get to the very top,” said the
study’s lead author, Robert Faris, an assistant sociology professor at the University
of California, Davis. “When kids become
more popular, later on they become more
aggressive.”
The study questioned nearly 4,000
North Carolina high school and middle
school students, asking them to list their
best friends, people they had picked on
and people who had picked on them.
The study’s main finding reinforces what
bullying-prevention groups are currently
advocating, mainly that the old stereotypes of bullies no longer hold true. Today,
especially with online tools, anyone can be
a bully and more people can be victimized.
With the rise in this kind of harassment
and its often dire consequences, anti-bul-
lying programs are becoming more prevalent. One major effort, the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, is now used in
more than 7,000 schools nationwide. The
program, based at Clemson University in
South Carolina, is named after a Norwegian researcher who began studying bullying more than 40 years ago. The program
began in just a handful of schools nationwide in 2001.
Marlene Snyder, the program’s director
of development, told Catholic News Service last winter that a number of Catholic
schools across the country have “really
embraced the program” and that religiousaffiliated schools “seem to get to the heart
of the matter a lot quicker,” examining
roles people play in a bullying situation as
part of their religion classes.
“For decades we’ve known about bullying, but we have not always responded
well,” she said in a phone interview from
her Montana home.
Snyder said the Olweus program is not
a one-shot deal where schools learn about
bullies and then continue on their way.
Instead, the comprehensive program is
meant to develop long-term changes.
Bullying has been a hot topic at recent
National Catholic Educational Association conventions, and several speakers addressed it this year during the April 26-28
convention in New Orleans.
During Catholic Schools Week Jan. 30Feb. 5, several Catholic schools across the
country included anti-bullying workshops
as part of events held for the observance
that included Masses, open houses and activities for students and teachers.
At St. Francis of Assisi School in Burien,
Wash., which runs a yearlong anti-bullying
program, a theater group acted out bullying
scenes as part of a Catholic Schools Week
presentation. The kindergarten through
fifth-grade students watched a presenta-
tion about children getting mad on the
playground, and the middle school students watched a performance that focused
on gossip, rumors and cyberbullying.
After the performances, students were
asked to think about what they saw and
make comments.
The school’s counselor told a local newspaper that bullying is a problem for private
and public schools alike. She said it might
be easier for a small school like St. Francis to take action when it sees this kind of
behavior because of its bullying policy and
clear awareness of “when a student has
crossed the line.”
Many public and Catholic schools have
specific anti-bullying policies in place,
and dioceses are also beginning to develop these policies in accordance with state
laws. Currently, 45 states have anti-bullying legislation. The states that do not have
these laws are: North and South Dakota,
Michigan, Hawaii and Montana, as well as
the District of Columbia.
At the end of last year, diocesan principals in Biloxi, Miss., established anti-bullying guidelines in accordance with new
Mississippi law.
Rhonda Clark, assistant superintendent
of schools, told the Gulf Pine Catholic,
newspaper of the Biloxi Diocese, that the
guidelines did come as the result of an increase in bullying but were “merely a matter of following the law.”
She noted that a spate of bullying incidents in the national spotlight prompted
many states to pass legislation on this issue.
In Mississippi, the new state law specifically defines bullying or harassing behavior as actions that place students in fear of
harm or create a hostile environment.
Clark said the new guidelines establish
a “uniform policy for all of the diocesan
schools so that every school will be on the
Victims of Bullying
One third of teens say they have
been bullied while at school.
Percentage who reported being:
made fun of
rumored or
gossiped about
20%
18%
11%
physically bullied
6%
threatened
5%
excluded from
activities
Source: www.bullyingstatistics.org
©2011 CNS
same page.”
Bobby Trosclair, principal at St. Patrick
Catholic High School in Biloxi, said bullying is simply a reality in today’s schools. “It
exists on all levels from elementary to high
school. It’s not something new. It’s been
around for ages. There’s just been more
public attention to it.”
He said the anti-bullying guidelines
were a good way to prevent confusion.
“The biggest thing is that a parent’s definition of bullying may be different from
what the law determines bullying to be,”
he said.
Contributing to this story was Terry
Dickson in Biloxi, Miss.
You ARE What
You Eat?!
STM ENTHUSIASTIC READERS – Of the 392 St. Thomas More students participating in the accelerated reading program in grades three through six, 251 earned 100 points or more, and 12 earned
over 500 points. Students earn accelerated reading points by reading books on their grade level
and taking AR tests online. Points are based on their test scores. The students earning over 500
points at STM are, from left, front row, Vivian Brown; An Vu; Jasmine Nguyen, a fifth grader with
the highest score, 910.3 points; Eloise Day; Reilly Helm; back row, Juliet Alise; Christopher Alumbaugh; Ethan Sledge; Jayme Kirkland; Audrey Lejeune, a sixth grader with the second highest
score, 893.6; Joseph Alexander; and, standing, Sydney Hamilton. Photo provided by St. Thomas More School
Child Nutrition
Program
BACK-TO-SCHOOL
July 13, 2011
St. Elizabeth Interparochial
6051 Convent Street, Paincourtville, La. • 985-369-7402
Serving area children since 1876.
A Catholic Christian Family devoted to spiritual growth and
academic excellence in a caring and safe environment.
Serving Grades PreK3–8th
➣ Fully Accredited
➣ Computer Classes for K–8
➣ Daily Religious Instruction ➣ Good Class Ratios
➣ Dedicated Faculty
➣ Athletic Programs
➣ Family Oriented Environment
St. Elizabeth School does not discriminate on the basis of
race, sex, or national origin.
• Highly qualified and
certified faculty
• Core knowledge
curriculum
• Accelerated honors
program
• Reading and Math
resource labs
• Foreign Language,
Fine Arts, Music
and Band
• Athletic program
PK-8
• Extended Day
program
Limited Openings Available
Pre-K thru 8th grade
St. Jude the Apostle School
Faith • Academics • Excellence
www.stjudebr.org
9150 Highland Road • Baton Rouge, LA 70810 • 225-769-2344
Teaching Students the
Way They Learn...
Dyslexia, ADD, ADHD
The Brighton School
Empowering Students to Achieve
Key Aspects of Our Program:
• Language-based learning
• Multisensory curriculum
• Structured writing program
• Low student-to-teacher ratio
• Certified, fully trained faculty
www.thebrightonschool.org
Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Brighton School is a non-profit K-12 program
dedicated solely to the education of students with
dyslexia and related learning differences. The Brighton
School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
national or ethnic origin.
• Elementary
K-6
Admissions
225-923-2068
• High School
7 - 12
Admissions
225-291-2524
St. Joseph’s Academy rising seniors Caroline Morganti and Linda Hall, far left, work with residents of Ciudad Sandino to repair laptop and tablet computers. Photo by John Richardson
SJA students serve the ‘Dear Neighbor’
during summer mission trips
The St. Joseph’s Academy community will be guided during the
2011-2012 academic year by the
charism theme “Great-Hearted
Love: Serving the Dear Neighbor.” But students aren’t waiting
for the start of school to serve
others. Many are participating
in service immersion trips both
in the United States and abroad
during their summer break.
Service is an important part of
the SJA experience, said Campus Minister Kristen Lazarine.
Service immersion trips encourage students to express God’s
love as they meet and identify
with others “so that all may be
one,” she said.
Eleven rising seniors spent
June 4-11 in Nicaragua working with Sister Dianne Fanguy
CSJ at the Cantera Community
Center of Ciudad Sandino. Sister
Dianne, a 1957 SJA graduate, has
spent two decades in Nicaragua,
living and working at Cantera,
which serves more than 600
youth and their families through
educational programs in music,
dance, theater and sports. The
center also focuses on community action campaigns for social
and environmental justice.
The mission group spent time
at the preschool in Ciudad Sandino and visited the center square
and several cathedrals in the
area. At the Cantera Community
Center, they enjoyed studentperformed plays dealing with
local social issues. On walking
tours of Ciudad Sandino, the
travelers enjoyed murals painted
by the local youth, and they met
the Jesuit volunteers who work
at Cantera. They visited the Cantera farm and its honey production facility, a holistic clinic, a
traditional Nicaraguan market
and the Sandino Memorial. They
also enjoyed playing soccer,
baseball and other games with
the school children.
“Instead of doing activities to
help build the city of Managua,
we were told that the people of
Nicaragua more importantly
need people to share their stories with, understand their
hardships, recognize their accomplishments and appreciate
their culture,” said senior Kassidy Noto. “The most memorable
part of this trip was the hope
that all of the people have to
make Nicaragua a better place.
Their strong belief in the Lord
gave them the strength to accept
their lifestyle and work hard for
a better tomorrow.”
A group of graduates, students
and SJA technology department
personnel also traveled to Nicaragua, spending June 13-20
in Ciudad Sandino, where they
helped bring access to technology to the refugee city of approximately 170,000 residents.
During the weekdays, the SJA
group taught residents about
various aspects of technology,
particularly multimedia. Residents were trained to use camer-
as, video cameras, video-editing
software and web design. SJA
students also built a website to
tie together four Cantera satellite
centers within the region. Three
students trained residents to repair various types of laptop and
tablet computers, and they undertook an ambitious project in
which they evaluated the needs
of the portion of Cantera without
network capabilities, gathered
the required equipment and installed and tested it.
In the afternoons, the SJA
group visited the satellite centers
of Cantera, where they interacted
with local groups, participated in
discussions of educational practices and enjoyed cultural experiences such as native dances.
Senior Jenny Landry said she
cherished the opportunity to
meet and work with the people
of Cantera. “They welcomed us
with open arms and showed
their love and care for us every
single day,” she said. “We went
on this trip to teach technology to the children and adults of
Cantera, but these people taught
me more than I could teach
them – one of the lessons being,
no matter the circumstances of
your life, serving others brings
happiness within.”
Ten students spent June 1217 in Wichita, Kansas, working
with the Sisters of St. Joseph’s
Dear Neighbor Ministries on
a number of projects. The orSEE SJA PAGE 17B
July 13, 2011
17B5
SJA: Students’ outreach educate them in valuable lessons during visits to Nicaragua, Kansas and Arizona
FROM PAGE 16B
ganization works to transform
the lives of poor, abused and neglected individuals in the Wichita
community through transitional
housing, support services and direct assistance.
Through StepStone, which provides safe housing, support and
advocacy for women and children
who are victims of domestic violence, the SJA students cleaned
apartments and homes, cleaned
storage garages, took inventory
of stored items and delivered
furniture. They interacted with
mothers and children living at
StepStone, taking the youngsters
on outings and babysitting while
the mothers attended self-help
programs.
Through the Hilltop Neighborhood Outreach initiative, which
strives to improve the neighborhood established in the 1940s, the
girls spent a day gardening and
doing yard work for two elderly
residents. They weeded, cleaned
fence lines, trimmed shrubs and
trees as well as bundled branches
for curbside pickup.
At the Community Garden
and Peace Garden, the students
cleaned the plot and talked with
gardeners from the community.
They enjoyed the opportunity
for fellowship and sharing tips
for a bountiful harvest in times
of drought. Throughout their
stay, the girls lived with the Sisters of St. Joseph at the mother
house, beginning each day with
Mass and prayer and ending with
prayer, reflection and sharing.
Senior Brittany Mitchell said
she enjoyed the labor undertaken
to help the less fortunate as well
as the time spent with the children of StepStone. “Their smiles
warmed my heart, and I will treasure the time I had with them,”
she said. “They showed me that,
although their lives are not in the
best state at the moment, they
can still have a huge smile on
their faces. I really wanted to do
this so I could touch the lives of
people whose backgrounds are
different from mine and to show
them that life is still awesome
outside of their situations.”
Six St. Joseph’s Academy and
six Catholic High School students
spent June 11-18 in Klagetoh,
Ariz., working with the Navajo
people at Saint Anne’s Mission.
The summer service trip to the
Arizona desert is an annual undertaking of the two schools.
The students’ primary charge
in Klagetoh was to help staff a
vacation Bible school for Navajo
children. They also hiked Canyon
de Chelley, visited Gallup, N.M.,
for souvenir shopping and to
see traditional Native American
dancing. Midweek, the travelers
held a memorial service for Jeff
Nola, a 1994 CHS graduate and
faculty member who passed away
in May after a courageous battle
with cancer, and planted a tree in
the prayer garden in his memory.
Each evening, travelers participated in campfire prayer and a
community gathering, and on
their final evening, they participated in a traditional sweat lodge
purification ceremony and communal bonding exercise.
Senior Jean Vicari said the realization that God cherishes everyone was the lesson she values
most. “He blesses each person
with something different and answers our prayers when he knows
it is the right time,” she said.
“Well, he did all that for me when
I was in Klagetoh. I met so many
children who have changed the
way I look at life. There was one
child, Gaylen, whom I connected
with a lot. Her mother thanked
me for putting a smile on her face,
but then I thanked her because
her daughter put an even bigger
smile on my heart.”
During this summer, SJA students and alumnae are making
trips to South Africa (June 30July 16), Honduras (July 1-10),
Labadieville (July 7-11) and
Kermit, W.Va. (July 10-15). Trip
details will be featured on the
SJA website sjabr.org upon each
group’s return.
GRADUATE
TODAY,
SUCCESS
TOMORROW.
Class of 2011
$5.46 Million in College Scholarships
William "Beau" Clark '91
Emergency Medicine Physician
20,000 hours of community service annually
www.smhsbr.org
BACK-TO-SCHOOL
July 13, 2011
OLOL College listed among
most affordable
Our Lady of the Lake College in Baton Rouge is among
four-year, private, nonprofit
institutions providing undergraduate education at the lowest net price, according to
a Department of Education
report released on June 30. Each year, the Department of
Education compiles College Affordability and Transparency
Lists that name institutions at
the extremes of tuition rates in a
variety of categories. Our Lady of
the Lake College is among 121 institutions in its class recognized
as charging the lowest total cost
for attendance. “From the moment of its
founding by the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady in 1923,
the mission of this institution
has been one of service to the
community, with the understanding that the investment in
education, especially for healthcare professions, is important to
everyone. The education at Our
Lady of the Lake College is held
to the highest standards, led by
some of the area’s best educators, and draws upon many of
the most advanced clinical resources in the state,” said OLOL
College President Sandra Harper. “We stand by a commitment to
our students to make the education here affordable and to help
those in need with scholarships
and other aid. Students are our
priority, and we will continue to
take actions to increase the accessibility and value of an education
at Our Lady of the Lake College.”
Each year, all institutions of
higher education are required
to submit data to the U.S. Department of Education, National
Center for Education Statistics,
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The
average net price is calculated
using this IPEDS data by subtracting the average amount of
federal, state/local, government
or institutional grant or scholarship aid from the total cost of
attendance. Total cost of attendance is the sum of published
tuition and required fees, books
and supplies, the weighted average for room and board and other
expenses. Based on IPEDS data, the net
price at Our Lady of the Lake
College is $9,125. The national
average for similar institutions is
$19,009.
See OLOL page 19B
Child Nutrition Program sets food program policies
Diocese of Baton Rouge Child Nutrition
Program today announced its policy for free
and reduced price meals served under the National School Lunch and/or School Breakfast
Program(s). All schools and the central office
have a copy of the policy, which may be reviewed
by any interested party.
Application forms are being sent to all
homes, along with a letter to households. To apply for free or reduced price meals, households
should fill out one application for the household
and return it to the school. Additional copies are
available at the principal's office in each school.
Applications may be submitted at any time during
the year. The information provided by the household is confidential; it will be used for the purpose
of determining eligibility. Information may be verified at any time during the school year by school
or other program officials.
For the school officials to determine eligibility, each household that is now receiving SNAP
(Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,
formerly the Food Stamp Program), or that is on
the Family Independence Temporary Assistance
Program (FITAP) must provide its SNAP or FITAP
case number as well as the signature of an adult
household member. All other households must
provide the following information on the application: names of all household members; the social security number of either the parent/guardian who is the primary wage earner, or the adult
household member who signs the application,
or a statement that the household member does
not possess one; the amount of income (before
deductions for taxes, Social Security, etc.) each
household member receives; how often the person receives the income; where it is from, such
as wages, retirement, or welfare; and the signature of an adult household member certifying that
the information provided is correct.
If a household member becomes unemployed
or if the household size increases, the household
should contact the school. Such changes may
make the children of the household eligible for
meal benefits.
Foster children who are the legal responsibility of a welfare agency or court may be eligible
for benefits. If a household has foster children
and wishes to apply for such meals for them, the
household should contact the school for more information.
Households that receive SNAP or FITAP
benefits are not required to complete an application. School officials will determine eligibility for
free meals based on documentation obtained
directly from the SNAP/FITAP office, which will
certify that a child is a member of a household
currently receiving SNAP or an assistance unit
receiving FITAP benefits. School officials will
notify households of their eligibility. Households
who are notified of their eligibility but do not want
their children to receive free meals must contact
the school. SNAP and FITAP households should
complete an application if they are not notified of
their eligibility by July1, 2011.
Under the provisions of the free and reduced
price policy, Child Nutrition Program Office will
review applications and determine eligibility. If a
parent or guardian is dissatisfied with the ruling of
the official, s/he may wish to discuss the decision
with the determining official on an informal basis.
If the parent wishes to make a formal appeal, s/
he may make either an oral or written response
to the following: Dr. Melanie B. Verges, P O Box
66578, Baton Rouge, La. 70896-6578; 225-3876421.
The policy contains an outline of the hearing
procedures.
Non-Discrimination Statement: This explains
what to do if you believe you have been treated
unfairly. “In accordance with Federal law and
U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the
basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or
disability. To file a complaint of discrimination,
write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400
Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C.
20250-9410 or call (866) 632-992; (800) 8778339 (TTY); (800) 845-6136 (Spanish). USDA is
an equal opportunity provider and employer.”
Our Lady of the Lake College, the only Catholic college in the Baton
Rouge area, provides an undergraduate education at the lowest net
price as determined by the U.S. Department of Education. Photo provided
by Our Lady of the Lake College
Educators to meet in
Hammond before school opens
Catholic educators in the Diocese of Baton Rouge will meet before school starts for their annual
Catholic Educators Conference.
This year the day-long conference
will be Tuesday, Aug. 2 from 7:30
a.m. to 3:45 p.m. in Hammond
at the University Center on the
Southeastern Louisiana University campus, 800 W. University Ave.
The theme of this year’s conference is “Evangelizing Hearts;
Educating Minds; Embracing the
Future.”
Father Michael J. Alello, pastor of St. Philomena Church in
Labadieville, will be the keynote
speaker. His topic will be “Holiness, A Lifestyle Change.” In the
past several years, Father Alello
aggressively changed his lifestyle
so he could become a healthier
person.
“Our culture is always looking toward the next great quick
fix and often this colors our approach towards God, church and
faith,” Father Alello said. “Everyone is called to holiness, yet holiness can’t be achieved overnight
or by simply showing up on Sundays. If you want peace and happiness, if you’re looking to deepen
your relationship with God, if you
desire holiness, you must make a
lifestyle change.”
Conference check-in begins at
7:30 a.m. Father Alello’s talk will
be at 9 a.m., followed by eight
breakout sessions beginning at
10:30. Bishop Robert W. Muench
will be the celebrant for the 2:30
Mass and commissioning.
Some of the breakout sessions
and the person giving the presentation are: “An End to Bullying:
Safe and Caring School” with Father John Pitzer; “Compassionate and Effective Parent/Teacher
Conferences” with Ann DeJean;
“Keeping It Real in Junior High
language Arts” with Melissa Hill;
“Enrollment Management and
Resources and Revenue” with
Bernard De Mond; “Spinning in
Circles” with Andre Hidalgo and
Laurie Briggs; “Getting the Most
Out of Your Starboard” with Monique Landry; “Those Troubling
Transitions: Wading in the Water
Anyway” with Nicholas Abraham; and “Customer Service for
Successful Catholic Schools” with
Frank Donaldson.
The exhibition space, which
will have vendors of education
products and services, will be
open all day.
July 13, 2011
19B5
St. George School SIT envisions potential
“We are visionaries with long-term
goals,” noted Angele Fontenot about her
role on the St. George School Improvement
Team.
Formed prior to the 2010-11 school year,
the SIT is composed of St. George faculty
members, representing different subjects
and grade levels, who have been given the
task of analyzing, evaluating and improving practices at St. George School. Given
action plans for areas of improvement, the
committee has set goals with definitive objectives and interventions and uses benchmarks to indicate progress.
“This committee is a way to look at and
set long-term goals while addressing specific needs of our academic program and
catholicity. We are able to have focused
conversations in a small group setting
with opportunities for good sharing. From
there, we can bring it to the larger faculty
group,” added Fontenot.
The Catholic Schools Office of the Diocese of Baton Rouge holds professional
workshops for teachers on material that
can be incorporated into the classroom.
Workshop topics have included rigor and
relevance, brain compatibility and higher-order thinking. The SIT attends these
workshops along with other St. George
faculty members and incorporate the concepts into their teaching methods.
The SIT committee recently demonstrated a method of applying rigor and
relevance to the classroom during a faculty meeting. A clown, played by Molly
Rose, demonstrated to the faculty how
juggling balls can be related to all the duties teachers are challenged to juggle in the
classroom, specifically adding rigor and
relevance to their lessons. Building on the
demonstration, the team created a bulletin board display in the faculty lounge so
teachers could post the ways they used the
concepts they learned. The bulletin board
depicts a clown, and teachers’ contributions are written on paper balls, which the
clown is juggling. This visual tool enables
the faculty to learn from each other and
provides a colorful way to recognize peer
achievements. “I find it fulfilling to inspire
other teachers to make learning fun and
meaningful,” remarked Fontenot.
“Being a member of the School Improvement Team allows me the opportunity to
work closely with other teachers and departments that I wouldn’t have the occasion to work with normally,” noted Rose.
“I can bring the ideas that develop from
the team sessions as well as other teaching
ideas back to my department and incorporate them into our curriculum. The team
looks at so many aspects of the school
beyond just the academics. We evaluate
ideas from different points of view – students, stakeholders, administration – and
ask ourselves how we can take St. George
School to the next level and improve on
what we already do well.”
One of the goals of the School Improvement Team is to achieve Blue Ribbon Status for St. George School. The Blue Ribbon
School Program honors public and private
elementary, middle and high schools that
are either high performing or have improved student achievement to high levels.
To reach this goal the School Improvement Team recognizes the importance of
achieving milestones.
One of these is to improve fundamental
math skills at all grade levels. The steps to
achieve this are outlined in the team’s action plan and include providing opportunities for students to meet with a certified
teacher outside of school hours to assist
with classroom math instruction for fifth
grade. This was put in place for the past
school year when Lori Tucker-Day was
hired as the math enrichment teacher.
Other intervention steps include: pro-
The clown on a bulletin board in the st. George School faculty lounge is a reminder to
sympathetic teachers of all they have to juggle in the classroom, with special attention
to adding rigor and relevance to their lessons. Photo provided by st. George School
viding professional development opportunities to enhance math lessons using
higher-order thinking strategies to solve
problems; more fully integrating the Catholic faith and Gospel values when making
life decisions; and establishing the Student Council for grades six through eight
to foster student-faculty relationships and
improve school pride. This last step is intended to achieve greater catholicity.
Rose summed up the type of evalua-
tion that the faculty must continually incorporate into the classroom in reaching
the goals set by the School Improvement
Team. “I ask myself daily, ‘How can I bring
Jesus alive for the students?’ ”
Rose and Fontenot, along with the other
faculty members of the School Improvement Team, have already reached an important milestone. They understand that
the key to improvement is envisioning
the potential of all.
OLOL: Affordable education in Baton Rouge
From page 18B
Offering master’s, baccalaureate and
associate degrees Our Lady of the Lake
College is a four-year, independent institution, providing a strong foundation in
the liberal arts and continuing its highly
regarded health sciences and nursing
programs.
For more information about the College, go to ololcollege.edu.
Enrolling now for 2011-2012
Academic Enhancement Program • Dedicated Principal, Faculty & Staff •
Convenient to Downtown Commuters • Low Teacher/Pupil Ratio •
Computer Classes/All Grades Internet Lab • Extended Day Care Program to 5:30 p.m.
• Extra Curricular Activities • Strong Parental Involvement • Grades PreK-8th
Sister Joseph Charles, SSJ, Principal
1150 South 12th Street, Baton Rouge
Office 225-387-6639 FAX 225-3831215
Early Learning Center 225-387-4877
M ost B lessed S acrament
Catholic School
www.mbsbr.org
Limited Openings Available
• Comprehensive K - 8 program
• Extended day care available
• Non-discriminatory admissions policy
“...a gift for life.”
8033 Baringer Road • Baton Rouge, LA 70817 • 225-751-0273
BACK-TO-SCHOOL
July 13, 2011
Diocese of Baton Rouge
Catholic School
Instructional Leaders
meLissa CLine
Lisa Harvey
CoLLeen CaiLLeT
Brenda Fremin
Catholic Elementary of
Pointe Coupée
Catholic High
Catholic High of
Pointe Coupée
Holy Family
maria CLoessner
Tina viLLa
eriCa WaLker
Most Blessed Sacrament
Our Lady of Mercy
Redemptorist
Elementary
JoHn sanders
sHirLey Bougére
Cindy ryLas
PauLa simoneaux
sr. JosePH
CHarLes, s.s.F.
sandy PizzoLaTo
Ascension Catholic
St. Alphonsus
St. Elizabeth
Redemptorist
High
St. John Primary
dr. gerard TouPs
St. Joseph
Linda Harvison
St. Joseph’s Academy
Linda Wisinger
Mater Dolorosa
Holy Ghost
Joan HuTson
Redemptorist
Special Education
Sacred Heart of Jesus
LizeTTe Leader
Wendy giLmore
St. George
St. Jean Vianney
Bernardine
Legendre
JoHn BenneTT
St. Aloysius
CHerie sCHLaTre
St. John High
St. John Elementary
St. Francis Xavier
Tina sCHexnaydre
Tangee
daugereaux
karen JakuBaCk
St. Jude the Apostle
mary CLare
PoLiTo
St. Louis King of France
eLLen Lee
St. Michael
the Archangel High
Joanna FoLTz
St. Peter Chanel
The Gift of Leadership
CHris musso
St. Theresa Middle
JosÉ BeCerra
St. Thomas Aquinas
High
dr. Judy
armsTrong
St. Thomas More

July 13, 2011 - The Catholic Commentator

Transcription

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