ACE Teaching Fellows

The Year of Faith is about connecting our life in ACE to a gospel story and discovering more about our life and our commitment to follow Jesus. This may seem like a challenge, but by reflecting on our experiences, we will discover God at work in our lives. Ask yourself, where is God in my life?

This is a time of hope that comes during Advent. We may be looking forward to Christmas. This is what we want to think, but our reality might be that we just want to be home with family for much-needed relaxation.

At this point in the semester, teachers are exhausted and can hardly wait to have some time off. You might be worn out—counting the days, like your students, until Christmas break. These are not the days when you are waking up in the morning and saying to your community members, or yourself, "I can hardly wait to get to school and teach. I have so much passion and enthusiasm." If, instead, you are feeling worn out, that is normal. When we put our whole heart and soul into something like teaching or ministry, it can be natural to feel tired, to need a rest.

Reflecting on this, I thought of Mark 12: 41 – 44 and Luke 21: 1 – 4. Mark's account was read at Mass on the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, and Luke's was read on the Monday of the last week in Ordinary Time. It is the story of the poor widow who puts two small coins in the Treasury. Jesus says: "I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them, for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she has to live on."

The widow gave out of her poverty. She responded to God's love by giving the only thing she had. She gave the gift of herself. I would suggest that your feelings as the semester winds down are leading you into your poverty.

It is important to see that, when we give of ourselves, we become connected to Christ. We are called to give—no matter how much we have. When we give of ourselves, we are giving an amazing gift of love to our community members and our students. Remember, during these days, because we are worn out, we are operating out of our poverty. We have the opportunity to give Christ's love. And that is the best gift that we can give.

During this season of giving, if you give from your poverty, you will give the love of Christ from the depth of your heart.

Have a restful, relaxing and blessed Christmas.

"From being an adult leader on Arbishop Carroll's first Kairos retreat to helping with the incredible food drive we put on, I have seen firsthand how these experiences help form our students. Students learn how to reach outside of themselves and gain an understanding of how their actions have the power to enhance the lives of others."

The math teacher got down to business at Archbishop Carroll High School, focusing not on her own sense of comfort but on her students' ability to succeed and to serve. Alyssa Bellinder, former track star from Kansas State University, chose displacement from her undergraduate experience to teach and to support young minds in her classroom in Washington, D.C.

"I believe in my students," Alyssa continues. "I tell them, 'I believe you can succeed. But the choice is up to you.' My goal is to provide them with an experience in which they can watch hard work and determination pay off with success. Students need to see the critical role that their effort plays in their accomplishments now and in the future."

Since graduating from ACE in 2013, Alyssa has continued teaching in Catholic schools, and is now teaching Geometry and Honors Geometry at Bishop Machebeuf High School in Denver, CO. She continues her commitment to service in her classroom.

"I've always wanted to be a teacher," she explains. "I have discovered that my life is not about me. It is about God and how I can serve him through my work as a teacher."

To read about Alyssa's community in Washington, DC, click here. To learn more about ACE Teaching Fellows, click here.

Chicago Jesuit Academy (CJA) is a full-scholarship Jesuit school that serves young men from modest economic backgrounds in grades 5-8. Following the Nativity model, the west-side school begins its day at 7:30 am and ends at 6:00 pm. The school year lasts nearly 11 months, and students learn in small class sizes to prepare for success in college prep high schools, universities, and positions of community leadership. The school opened in 2005, and thanks to the unwavering dedication of its staff and teachers—four of whom are graduates of ACE Teaching Fellows—student success rates have been staggering.

"We're fortunate to have an extraordinarily talented faculty and staff," said CJA President Matthew Lynch. "They have the education and the work ethic to do whatever they want in their professional lives," he went on to say. But they choose to dedicate themselves to the students of CJA instead. This is true of ACE grads Matt Houlihan, Teresa Haggerty, Sarah Finch, and Katie McDonnell who, with approximately 75% of all ACE graduates, have chosen to stay in Catholic education.

Of their experience at CJA, these teachers have nothing but praise. Matt (ACE 12) said, "CJA is one of the few [schools] I've ever heard of that continually hires standout teachers and individuals. The camaraderie, teamwork and selflessness exhibited in the staff at CJA are nearly singular. For [any] teacher used to being a bit of an island, CJA is inspiring."

Katie (ACE 16) added, "ACE got me hooked on service in urban Catholic schools. I looked for a school that offers holistic opportunities to students who otherwise may not have school choice and CJA was the perfect fit."

"Our mission resonates powerfully with ACE alumni," Mr. Lynch said. "Our job is to help our students discover and develop their God-given gifts. This is at the heart of who we are."

Their mission is working. On average, incoming CJA fifth-grade students test at the mid-third-grade level in reading and mathematics. Upon graduating, eighth-grade students test at the mid-tenth-grade level in those subjects, and many go on to attend rigorous college prep high schools in Chicago such as Loyola Academy and St. Ignatius and prestigious boarding schools such as the Thacher School in California, Culver Academy in Indiana and Episcopal High in Virginia. To support them, CJA offers a College-Persistence Program that collaborates with families, high schools and colleges to ensure that these young men receive the same high level of care long after they have graduated eighth grade.

CJA currently serves close to 100 young men but will have the capacity to serve twice that number when a renovation and expansion project is completed in September of 2013.

For more information about the school, call (773) 638-6103, visit the website or follow on Facebook.

One of the longest traditions in the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) was convened for the nineteenth time on Nov. 30, 2012. Members of the two current cohorts in ACE Teaching Fellows gathered over the weekend at a retreat center outside Austin, Texas, for the annual ACE Advent Retreat.

About 170 teachers serving in 26 dioceses marked the half-way point in the school year with a three-day experience of prayer, personal reflection, community-building, and fun. They entered the Advent season together as their Sunday liturgy began the new liturgical year and opened up a season of expectancy.

The ACE 18 and ACE 19 cohorts were joined by numerous faculty and staff members who support them throughout the year. Current teachers in the Alliance were also joined in spirit by alumni for whom the retreat has generated many good memories in the past. This annual gathering is a milestone for everyone formed as a Catholic school educator in ACE Teaching Fellows.

"Any ACEr, thinking back to their time in formation, would happily recall the December Retreat, now explicitly the ACE Advent Retreat," says Chuck Lamphier, director of ACE Advocates for Catholic Schools. The tradition goes back to the Alliance's first cohort, formed in 1994, he says. It is inseparable from the character of this initiative to serve children—and the movement that has grown from it—because "ACE is so based on relationship, on knowing each other."

The annual tradition starts on Friday with a focus on reuniting—a renewal of friendships that grew during the summer of ACE courses at the University of Notre Dame. Alongside the individual get-togethers, people celebrate that they are part of a broad ACE community. Events of the day alert people to the latest news of the ACE movement and nurture everyone's professional and spiritual growth.

Much of Saturday is devoted to a mix of recollecting, preparing for the future, and embracing the formation journey within the Alliance for Catholic Education family. Teachers' discussions look back at the experiences of the first semester, look ahead to career planning for life after ACE, and address the challenges of community life.

ACE teachers live in intentional faith communities in houses near the schools where they serve. Community and spirituality complement professional service as pillars of ACE, and all three are affirmed during the three days.

Teachers gather again Sunday morning for Mass, celebrating the Advent spirit of welcome for Jesus in their hearts, in their classrooms, and in the Christmas season.

Then, the retreatants must start getting back to their local communities—in Florida and California, in Texas and Tennessee, and many places in-between—in time to welcome schoolchildren back on Monday morning.

The Austin area has been the site for these retreats since 2004, largely because it is within reasonable driving distance of many ACE partner dioceses. Whatever means of transportation they use to attend the retreat, participants' expenses are paid for by ACE because it is such an important part of every teacher's formation.

The ACE Advent Retreat of 2012 again offered testimony to the diverse experiences and pastoral care that make ACE a unique, supportive preparation for teachers and a providentially gifted instrument for sustaining and strengthening Catholic schools. Like Advent itself, it's a time for looking ahead with hope.

Good news about the present and future of Catholic schools fills the pages of the 2011-2012 Annual Report from the Alliance for Catholic Education. That report, released today, is available online—the first fully digital version of an ACE annual report.

This fresh collection of compelling stories about ACE's activities explores successes in leadership formation, professional services, research-based innovation, and partnerships around the United States.

Faculty and staff have shared expertise in school governance, strategic planning, Latino enrollments, and parental choice, among other issue areas. Nearly 80 bishops have engaged in ACE-sponsored conferences on advocating for parental choice policies.

The report also offers highlights of the 2011-2012 academic year for numerous initiatives through which the Alliance for Catholic Education responds to the needs of dioceses—and to the call to serve children by sustaining, strengthening, and transforming Catholic schools.

During the year, ACE offered services in 74 archdioceses and dioceses. ACE teachers and principals impacted the lives of 38,000 students.

Supporters of Catholic schools will find a valuable resource in this update on ACE's growing list of activities. Paper copies of the 2011-2012 Annual Report are available by contacting communications specialist Bill Schmitt.