ACE Advocates News

Would you walk a mile for $10,000? No, this is not a rhetorical question.

Alesa Weiskopf’s answer was a resounding yes, but she needed at least 99 other people to say yes, too. Spoiler alert: mission accomplished.

ACE 22 graduate Mary Grace Mangano currently teaches English at Cristo Rey New York High School. In this fourth installment of Teachers Helping Teachers, Mary Grace highlights a technique she uses to keep all students engaged in classroom dialogue: “rotating discussions”.

“My older sister, Marita, always wanted to be a teacher, and she is way more gifted and patient than I ever have been or ever will be.”

Acts 9: 3-7

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

God calls each of us by name. Where is He asking us to go? Last month, Fr. Joe Carey visited Denver and shared this reading with the city’s ACE Advocates and Teaching Fellows as they gathered to celebrate Mass and enjoy dinner. Telling the story of St. Paul’s conversion, he reminded the group that Jesus calls each person by name. Fr. Joe issued this challenge: don’t stop at being leaders in daily life; think creatively about how past ACE teachers could use their knowledge and lived experience to better guide and support new ACE Teachers.

Dr. Katie Baal, a member of the first ACE cohort, has been named one of seven 2018 Stanley G. Golder Leadership Award finalists in honor of her distinguished service, commitment, and dedication to excellence in education in Illinois.