In the Spotlight . . .

Dan Faas' classmates chose him to speak during Commencement weekend last summer and, with his characteristic wit and wisdom, the former Spartan captured the fear, awe, and Christ-revealing hope of the ACE experience. Below are excerpts of his speech. To read the full transcript, click here.

On behalf of the graduating class of ACE 17, I want to thank all of you for being here tonight. Thank you to the ACE M.Ed faculty, pastoral staff, and all who make ACE what it is...And on a personal note, I want to thank my fellow ACErs — my fellow masters, my allies in Catholic education, my dear friends, my brothers and sisters for giving me — a lowly Spartan — the opportunity to speak for a few minutes tonight on their behalf and to represent Our Lady's University in this capacity. I say with all sincerity that this is the honor of my life.

I'm a little bit intimidated to be up here right now...Many of you are perhaps expecting me to briefly and succinctly encapsulate the ACE experience. Grandma Rita in the back perhaps might be wondering what it's like to be an ACE teacher, or perhaps Cousin Herschell wants to know about the academic rigors of the M.Ed, and Aunt Esther might just want some more clarification on why her sweet niece or nephew was sent to Plaquemine, Louisiana in the first place, or even where or what a Plaquemine is...

I've come to the conclusion that —alas! — it can't be done. For those who have completed ACE, no explanation is necessary and for those who have not, no amount of explanation will suffice. The story of ACE as a whole is too big for one man to explain. It is, alas, not my story to tell.

But this burden nevertheless left me afraid. Afraid, much like the apostles were [in the boat the night they saw Jesus walking on the water]. Scripture says a strong wind was blowing, and the apostles of Christ were frightened. And when Christ appears, walking on water, what does he say but, "Do not be afraid"?

"Do not be afraid" — says the unsinkable man.

At first, this reading did nothing to allay my fears. If I'm afraid to sink, why should I listen to Jesus, as he is buoying on top of the sea?

But when the apostles stop being afraid, when they recognize what is happening — their Lord defying the laws of nature and physics — they let him into the boat...and they are amazed. They forget their fear, and they just live in awe of what they just saw...

I was teaching the sacraments in religion this past year and we were talking about the Eucharist — that is, the sacrament that Catholics recognize as the real presence — body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus. I explained this to my students, and saw their faces kind of contort — first in confusion, then in understanding, then in shock. Many of my students, non-Catholic, didn't understand how people could really think this. And then Shauntai, in the back, asked a question I'll never forget:

"So, Midda Faw, if you think that Jesus is REALLY the bread, then why you not be amazed, like, ALL THE TIME?!"

And I didn't have an answer for her. Still don't.

And I think, maybe, that's why I was so afraid of this talk. Not just because I have to get up in front of 500 people. I taught middle school, I can handle 500 people. But because you all amaze me so much, and I don't want to disappoint...

It's easy to be afraid, especially in times like this. We are moving to new places, and schools. We have new vocations, new spouses, new fiancees, new roommates, new careers.

But when I think back to all of you all, and how I have seen Christ in you and in all of the work and the pain and the struggle and the joy and the good, the real and lasting good that we've done — together: I am not afraid.

I am amazed.

And, like Shauntai's question, I really don't know why I wasn't amazed the whole time. I should have been. And now, looking at all of you, finishing this difficult and beautiful experience, I know I will continue to be amazed for a very long time.

Dan is currently teaching in the ACE Chile (ChACE) program.  To read the full transcript of his commencement speech, click here.

How long have you been involved in Catholic schools and in what capacity?

For seventeen years, I have been proud to minister in Catholic schools. I began my career teaching high school English at a wonderful public school, but when my son entered Kindergarten at our parish school, I fell in love with the place. The following year, the school needed a principal, and our Deacon and his wife asked me if I would consider applying for the job. I thought "No way I could ever be a principal," but the more I reflected on the wonderful faith my son was developing, I felt I couldn't say no. I served the school as principal for six wonderful years.

Throughout that time, our superintendent, Sr. Catherine Powers, was a fabulous mentor, helping me grow and learn in so many ways. One day, she asked if I would consider becoming the associate superintendent. For ten years, I worked with her; during the last four, I learned about ACE Collaborative.

What has been your experience with ACE Collaborative?

What a gift that has been. Dr. (Tom) Doyle and Sr. Gail Mayotte first shared the curriculum development process, unit planning, and data based decision-making strategies at a conference for administrators, and immediately I recognized that our Archdiocese, the children, principals and teachers could really use this program. I thought, "This is what we need to grow and become excellent."

I am so pleased with our participation and appreciate the boost ACE Collaborative has given our schools. Our teachers have grown close to one another and begun to network, creating Facebook pages to share ideas, and calling each other to ask questions. I love that they don't feel isolated and alone; that they are talking about what they do well and about where they would like to improve. The energy and enthusiasm they bring to the process is electric. It is a delight to watch teachers capture an idea and run with it. That excitement animates us, and that in turn inspires our students.

This week, Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory School teacher Andrew Hoyt answers our questions about his experience as a teacher, a Melody Teaching Fellow, and a witness to the difference Catholic schools make.

How did you come to be professionally involved in education?

My first exposure to teaching (aside from my own experience as a student) came in an unusual setting: a homeless shelter. While I was an employee at the Center for the Homeless in South Bend, a group of graduate students from the MFA in creative writing program at the University of Notre Dame started up a writing workshop for our guests at the CFH. These graduate students were nice enough to let me sit in with them, and they amazed me with their ability to engage even the most unlikely students in the written word.

A few years later, I became involved with a community of educators and ACE-grads who were [interested in] the Cristo Rey model. The more we researched it, the more impressed I became with the intersection of academics, spirituality, and social justice that drives these schools. When I heard of the plans for a new Cristo Rey school in Houston, Texas, I started shopping online for belt buckles and cowboy hats. I've been lucky enough to teach English at Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory of Houston for the last four years.

What led you to Melody Teaching Fellows, and how has the program helped you as an educator?

The Gwen and Larry Melody family have been incredible supporters and friends of Cristo Rey Jesuit in Houston, and when I heard of the idea for the Melody Teaching Fellows, I thought it would be a great opportunity to hone my practice and develop responses to some of the unique challenges my students face. In particular, the program gave me an opportunity to investigate, understand, and address some of my students' vocabulary deficiencies. With the help of my mentor and outstanding colleagues, I developed a curriculum to promote morphological awareness that I never could have imagined or completed without the Melody Teaching Fellows program.

I believe that the purpose of education, and literacy in particular, is to provide our students with freedom. With that in mind, the goal of my work with the Melody Teaching Fellows program has been to allow my students to feel hope when they encounter words and terms that they have never seen before, rather than despair or frustration.

Will you share with us a story from your classroom that affirms the value of Catholic Education?

My students work in a dojo-like environment to "chop" words into morphemes, and they earn bracelets of various colors, much like the belts in a karate dojo. Just last week a senior student, who earned a "black belt" in my class as a sophomore, sat in my room for a study hall with the rest of the varsity basketball team. As all of the students worked on their homework, one freshman ran across a word in his reading that gave him trouble. He asked three people what the word meant, but no one seemed to know. Finally, the third student suggested, "Ask Nghia, he's a black belt." The freshman looked in awe at the senior (it's insanely hard to become a black belt), and took his reading over to the older student. Though they didn't know I was listening, two things happened in that conversation that affirmed for me the value of their Catholic education. First, the senior admitted that he didn't know the definition of the word, but asked the freshman, "What should we do?" The freshman tentatively responded, "Break it down?" And the two began working together to determine the definition of the word. When faced with a challenge, Nghia didn't back down. He felt free to begin an investigation of his own; more importantly, he shared that freedom with the younger student. I could hardly hope for more than to see two students, helping one another, emboldened by a sense of hope, and relishing a challenge in front of them.

Read more about Andrew's curriculum on his blog here.

Cassie Brownell had her first introduction to Catholic schools when she enrolled at Marquette University. "The closest Catholic school [to our small North-Central Montana town] was sixty miles away," she tells us. What captured her imagination as a college freshman is what continues to motivate her today: a love of service and living "as a woman for others."

That motivation is also what led her to ACE Teaching Fellows (plus, she says, the influence of "some great MU alums in the ACE program") and then spurred her to enroll in ACE Teaching Exceptional Children. About her interest in TEC, Cassie says, "After three years teaching in post-Katrina New Orleans, two years in second grade with ACE and one year in first grade at my post-ACE school, I recognized trends among the academic and behavioral needs of the students I encountered. From discussions with [ACE Senior Director of Program Development] Dr. Joyce Johnstone, I knew more could be done to address the needs of not only students but parents and educators."

Through TEC, Cassie established a Strategic Intervention Team (SIT) at her school, which allowed her and her colleagues to develop relationships with six families that now, she says, "have new hope for the future of their children's academic careers." She went on to say, "My principal commented that SIT is the single-best thing to happen at our school."

Now in her fifth year of teaching, Cassie continues her focus on service and living for others. Recently she visited her ACE school, where she ran into a former student. In the first moments of their conversation, the student asked, "Do you still love all of us?" That summed up Cassie's commitment as a Catholic and an educator: "Loving my students and meeting them where they are."

Steve McClure was born with a generous spirit toward people and places different from his own. The gift became especially clear when, as a Notre Dame undergrad, he recognized his passion for being immersed in other cultures, particularly Latino culture. This led him post-college to Oaxaca, Mexico, where he taught English, and then to Arizona, where he served refugees from all over the world as they established new lives after fleeing their homelands. That job, Steve says, was eye-opening. "In helping refugees find employment, provide for their families, educate their children, and make simple adaptations to their lifestyle so as to succeed in the U.S., I began to vicariously experience the challenges of being an immigrant."

Today, as associate director of the Catholic School Advantage (CSA) campaign, Steve is putting that empathy to use, working alongside Fr. Joe Corpora to equip Catholic schools to better serve Latino families and students. "In many ways," Steve says, "the experience of Mexican-Americans in the US, whether first generation or third, is consistent with that of any immigrant." At base is their effort to assimilate into a culture that in many ways does not resemble their own. "The need for culturally responsive schools is absolutely critical," Steve says. Without them, students strain against the disparity between their home and school cultures, often struggling with academic achievement as a result.

Steve explains how the mission of the CSA campaign—to address the achievement gap and improve the educational opportunities of Latino children and families—is ripe for the nation's changing landscape. "ACE is serving communities in one the most... fundamental ways to effect change: education. And not only education for the sake of economic security and prosperity, but a Catholic education that [forms] both the heart and the mind. The Catholic Church has historically done well educating the immigrant church, so Catholic schools are well positioned to provide our Latino brothers and sisters with superb educational opportunities in an environment consistent with Latino culture and familial life."

To learn more about the Catholic School Advantage campaign, click here.