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To an outsider, rugby may come off as a hostile sport. Even those who have not seen a game can imagine the intensity of a sport that uses terms such as “charge-down,” “crusher tackle,” and “blood bin.” And while a match might induce some scrapes and bruises, for Daniel Hodge, the former captain of Gonzaga University Men’s Rugby Club, the spirit of rugby is one of hospitality, generosity, and seeing past opponents’ differences. In fact, the kindness present in the rugby community is something Daniel, ACE 24, hopes to foster in his classroom next year.

When Ernest Morrell graduated from college, he had a chance to pursue a fully-funded graduate fellowship at the Harvard Business School or a lucrative career in finance with Bank of America. 

Matt Vereecke, the Superintendent of Catholic Schools in Dallas, knew that when he moved from schoolteacher to superintendent, he would be giving up the daily personal interactions with his students. 

Shavar Jeffries, president of Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) and a leading advocate for expanding public and accountable school-choice opportunities for underserved families, served as the keynote speaker at the 2017 Commencement Ceremony of the University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) on Saturday, July 15.

Matt DeBoer, a graduate of the 12th cohort of the Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program, begins each morning by shouting, “God is good!” to his 140 students at St. Therese Catholic Academy. He receives a raucous reply of “All the time!” “And all the time,” he continues. “God is good!” they finish emphatically. This call and response officially begins the school day, and it also illustrates a schoolwide commitment to Christian values. The remainder of their morning assembly fosters a sense of unity and purpose, and it constructs a clear spirit through prayer and reflection. No visitor could deny the sense of Christocentric culture that is on display here, but it is something that was missing from the school as recently as 2014.