ACE Advocates News

Taken from the University of Notre Dame's independent newspaper, The Observer.

While most of the nation was watching President Barack Obama deliver Tuesday's State of the Union address from the comfort of their own homes, one of Notre Dame's Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) teachers had a once-in-a lifetime opportunity.

Speaker of the House John Boehner invited first-year ACE teacher Jack Kelly to attend the address as his guest. With this invitation, Kelly had a front row seat overlooking members of Congress, which he said was an incredible opportunity.

"I studied Political Science and Theology at Marquette University, so meeting the Speaker of the House and [Cardinal Donald Wuerl] at such a historic speech was a dream come true," Kelly said. "It was a blessing to sit with one of my students in witness to the advantage of Catholic education."

If you’re an ACE Advocate, you know very well what starts this Sunday:  Catholic Schools Week 2011.  This year’s theme, “Catholic Schools: A+ for America,” speaks to a very basic belief of the ACE Advocates:  In addition to being good for the Church, Catholic schools are good for children, families, communities, and the nation.
 
Millions of children receive an education in Catholic schools.  Known for their high academic standards and impressive graduation rates, our Catholic elementary and secondary schools collaborate with parents to form children into the values-driven adults our country and our world badly need.  And let’s not forget that in providing this service to the country, Catholic schools save the government billions of dollars.

As we wrote last night, and just in time for National School Choice Week, Speaker of the House, John Boehner, sent a strong message about  his upcoming push for school choice by inviting a number of students and teachers—and Cardinal Donald Wuerl among others—to be present in the "Speaker's Box" at the State of the Union address.

Representatives from the Alliance for Catholic Education were present with the group. They included Jack Kelly, a first-year ACE teacher earning his master’s degree through ACE Teaching Fellows, and Mike Thomasian, a graduate of ACE’s Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program.

In the "About the Teacher" section of her classroom webpage, Jennifer Kowieski says, "I should have realized that I wanted to be a teacher when, in third grade, I'd rush home from school to teach my little sister all I could about writing in cursive, multiplying numbers, and photosynthesis."

Maybe it wasn't in third grade that Kowieski realized she was being called to the classroom, but luckily for the students and families who have been blessed by her service, that realization did eventually come.  Now, others across the country are also realizing what a gift she is to the Catholic classroom.