ACE in the City
ACE’s presence in our nation’s capital is strong and growing. Seven ACErs in the ACE Teaching Fellows program currently serve five schools in the archdiocese: Archbishop Carroll High School, St. Thomas More Academy, Sacred Heart, St. Anthony, and Holy Redeemer (College Park, MD.) Through its formation programs and other initiatives, ACE has been privileged to contribute substantially to the leadership ranks in the Catholic school system in Washington, with ten graduates of ACE’s Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program, which prepares teachers to be principals and leaders in Catholic schools, currently serving in the greater metropolitan area.
Catholic school educators from Washington who have completed ACE’s licensure programs in English as a New Language (ENL) and Teaching Exceptional Children (TEC) also have returned to their classrooms in the city, prepared to help make their schools more inclusionary for a diverse student body. ACE Advocates for Catholic Schools, a network of alumni from ACE programs, is represented by a regional group based in Washington.
Where We’ll Be
Thursday, October 24
10:30 a.m. - ACE bus visits the Capitol Building; Award presentation on the steps; Students in ACE schools tour the Capitol
1st St. SE - Washington, D.C.
Friday, October 25
11:30 a.m. - School visit and award presentation at St. Anthony School
3400 12th St. NE - Washington, D.C. 20017
Award Recipients
The University of Notre Dame Sorin Award for Service to Catholic Schools
During his 18 years as Bishop of Pittsburgh and now in his eighth year as Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Donald Wuerl has been a crusader for Catholic education and an advocate for school choice, working to persuade the government to support parents in sending their children to the school of their choice. Under his leadership in Washington, the Archdiocesan Tuition Assistance Fund has expanded in the past three years and has awarded over $15 million to more than 11,000 students from low-income families so they may attend Catholic schools. Cardinal Wuerl has also been a strong supporter of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, which has been tremendously successful and is this year assisting nearly 1,600 students in the nation’s capital attend private and Catholic schools of their parent’s choice.
The University of Notre Dame Champion for Education Award
Two distinguished members of the U.S. Congress received University of Notre Dame Champion for Education Awards when the Fighting for Our Children’s Future National Bus Tour came to Capitol Hill on Thursday, Oct. 24. Sen. Tom Harkin, in his fifth term serving Iowa in the U.S. Senate, chairs the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Rep. John Kline, representing Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District, chairs the House Education and the Workforce Committee. Both lawmakers have consistently worked to ensure a high-quality education for every child in America. Their committees have made significant strides toward reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.