Special report

School update – the process for imporving our schools.
What makes an excellent Catholic School?

Vatican II’s Declaration on Christian Education calls for Catholic schools to incorporate the faith intoa child’s entire life – home, sports, friendships, music and video choices, among others. It also bids educators “to relate all human culture eventually to the news of salvation, so that the life of faith will illumine the knowledge which students gradually gain of the world, of life, and of humankind.” Therefore, students should be able to apply Christian principles beyond religion courses to all of their studies; from humanities to history; from geometry to geology, and beyond.
While the Diocese of Lansing’s Catholic schools’ missions incorporate these ideals, the reality of funding and the ever-changing landscape in education guidelines keeps administrators, teachers and parents jostling to assure that resources are met while meeting rigorous standards. What are the 38 elementary and middle schools and four high schools within the diocese doing to ensure excellence?
According to Sister Dorita Wotiska, OP, Ph.D., Diocese of Lansing superintendent of schools, the partnership between school staff and parents is providing an outstanding support network to make Catholic education viable, relevant and exceptional.

Grading the graders
Ensuring that students receive the best education from faith formation through core curriculum is a dynamic process.
“The diocesan curriculum guidelines are revised and updated constantly to guarantee that we meet statewide requirements and to ensure that students are receiving the educational and faith requirements that the diocese believes are important,” says Sister Dorita.
The stride toward achievement goes beyond curriculum development – it is a constant search for school improvement as each school in the diocese goes through a rigorous seven-year process of self-study within 12 areas.
Experience has shown that the diocesan schools have surpassed the measure set by the state. Diocese of Lansing students who have taken the MEAP (Michigan Educational Assessment Program) test administered to students at given times throughout their educational tenure have fared far better than their public school peers. However, the diocese is now looking to change the standardized testing procedure and programs used to examine student progress.
“After a number of years, it is human nature to become used to a certain formula, so it is time to switch and challenge our students, teachers, and entire system again to move the marker of excellence forward,” explained Sister Dorita.

Financing the future
Students learn when the schools are open. And the doors open only when there are enough dollars to operate. This has been the struggle with Catholic education throughout the country since the 1970s.
Archbishop John Foley, an American official in the Vatican, noted that too few Catholics who can afford to donate money to the schools do so. He also observed that as Catholics are becoming more affluent, they are becoming less generous.
In order to educate our youth in the faith through Catholic schools, it is imperative to provide students adequate facilities, instruction and resources. The diocese has programs to help lower-income families with tuition assistance, but this support is not as widely available to middle-income families who are pinched by swelling expenses.
Yet, schools cannot stand idly by and wait for donors and supporters to come knocking. The schools within the diocese are constantly developing innovative ways to secure the needed dollars, as are their counterparts in public schools. Annual auctions, up-front tuition payment programs and developing relationships with major donors are key components in most schools’ fundraising playbooks.

Partnering with the public
Collaboration is the hot topic in education today. Partnerships aren’t exclusive to raising funds. Some schools are finding unique ways to make their finances stretch while their instruction costs are covered.
“Several of our schools are engaging with public schools to utilize their teachers in non-core subjects such as art, band, music and foreign language,” says Sister Dorita.
This relieves the diocesan school from hiring and incurring the cost of part-time faculty and the public school wins by receiving a portion of the tax dollar allocated to the hours spent teaching each student.
At St. Martha School in Okemos, Williamston Public Schools have been providing art, music and foreign language to the students since 2006. The program has worked so well that band was added this year.
“In essence, more collaboration means our schools get more service, the public schools get more funds, and the parents see some benefit for their taxes,” says Sister Dorita.

Walking the walk
St. John Vianney Catholic School – Flint
Core subjects are taught throughout the day to the 260 pre-K through eighth-grade students of St. John Vianney Catholic School in Flint, just as they are to all students who attend elementary and middle schools. One difference may be the emphasis of evangelization that is generated from the Catholic teachings throughout the curriculum.
“We do all the normal things that any good Catholic school would do to bring our students into a vibrant personal relationship with Jesus,” says Elizabeth Petrides, St. John Vianney teacher and parent. “We wrap our day with prayer. Religion classes, of course, teach the faith, but more importantly, students learn the faith in all other classes, as well. Science classes bring discussions of God’s wonder in creation. Social studies classes explore ways that people have or have not followed God’s ways and the ensuing consequences. Music teachers instruct sacred and secular compositions side-by-side. Physical education teachers encourage good manners and hard work as part of Christian stewardship of our gifts. Jesus is the center of our entire curriculum.”
St. John Vianney is different from most diocesan schools in that it is racially diverse and 45 percent of the student population is not Roman Catholic. These students and their families are fully immersed in the Catholic faith, with the exception of the reception of the sacraments.
Students take notice, and nearly every year several will ask to be baptized and join the faith community. Last year, three second-graders were baptized at a school Mass. Sometimes whole families become part of the church as a result of the school is ministry.
Through the school’s active evangelization efforts, it has encouraged vocations to priesthood and religious life, most recently by inviting the diocesan vocations directors to speak to the middle-school students. A vocations cross is a focal point in a different classroom each week. As the students prepare to lead weekly all-school Mass, they also pray in a special way for vocations. Also, teachers are very open about personally encouraging these vocations.

Group improvements
Father Gabriel Richard High School – Ann Arbor
A collaborative approach is key to making all teams work, especially the fund development team at Father Gabriel Richard High School in Ann Arbor. Yet the collaboration goes beyond the walls of the high school to include community, diocesan, business and other nonprofit partners.
The development team isn’t just the advancement department; it is the chaplain, administration, business manager, facilities director, athletic director. They gain input from the diocese, community members, parents, teachers and all of the stakeholders to develop plans and implementation steps that take into consideration more than just the culture of the school and the region which encompasses the student body.
Gabriel Richard, established as St. Thomas School in 1867, moved into a new facility in 2003 after undertaking a $17 million capital campaign.
“The school is very fortunate to have donors with a strong passion for Catholic education,” states Elizabeth Schoch, Gabriel Richard’s director of advancement. “Now that our new facility is at capacity, we are unveiling a plan of giving that will engage our feeder parishes to support the high school on an annual basis.”
The current trend in philanthropic gifts is to designate funds to specific programs. Given the economy in the state of Michigan, corporations and private individuals must sift through many solicitations for their discretionary dollars.
“As an institution, we must excite people with who we are and what we offer as a Catholic institution,” says Schoch.

“And so the purpose of Catholic education is to communicate Christ to you, so that your attitude toward others will be that of Christ.” – John Paul II