Teachers talk to colleagues Aug. 13 after being asked by keynote speaker Fr. Patrick McDevitt, CM, to share what they love about being an educator. They attended the annual Teachers’ Convocation at Althoff Catholic High School’s Heritage Hall (David Wilhelm photo).
Mass at St. Henry, donuts, water and an enthusiastic address from Fr. Patrick McDevitt ushered in a new school year in the Diocese of Belleville.
About 400 teachers and administrators from 26 schools attended the Mass and the annual Teachers’ Convocation, held Aug. 13 at Althoff Catholic High School’s Heritage Hall.
McDevitt, a Chicago native and a member of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians), admonished teachers to “always keep the heartbeat of love in everything you do.”
“Being a teacher is an act of holiness,” Fr. McDevitt said, reminding everyone that Jesus was “the model teacher” and telling the educators that “teachers change the world.”
Bishop Michael McGovern and first-year Director of Education Fr. Michael Caruso, SJ, also attended the Mass and convocation, which concluded with Fr. McDevitt taking a handful of questions from the teachers.
Classes in the diocese began Aug. 14, providing the fresh start that accompanies August each year. In reality, the educators already had been busy preparing lessons and organizing classrooms in anticipation of the arrival of their students.
Lauren Robinson, a fourth-grade teacher, left the convocation with a smile on her face as she looked ahead to her seventh year at St. Teresa in Belleville and her 21st year overall. She spent 14 years at Althoff.
“New kids, new faces,” Robinson said. “I have five new students in my class this year, so it’s new faces, new families, welcoming in a new crew.”
Then, laughing, Robinson said: “I’m a teacher. I love new pencils, I love new Crayons, I love new markers. … St. Teresa is a great place to be. I’m a graduate of St. Teresa, so it meant a lot to me to come back to St. Teresa. We’re all there because it’s a place we love.”
It was a special summer for Robinson, who calls herself a “science teacher by trade.” But she greatly enjoys teaching religion, too, and going on a pilgrimage in late May and early June has provided additional motivation.
“I feel like I have so much more to offer my students this year after spending nine days in Rome,” Robinson said. “I traveled with my daughter (Kennedy), who is in her sophomore year at Althoff, and Nicole Green, who is the principal at St. Teresa. We were with a group from Nebraska that was with their parish priest.
“There were so many highlights. We were in the Basilica of St. Claire and they have a room of relics. One of the relics there was a pair of socks that (belonged to) St. Francis. They have blood stains on them because he carried the stigmata. Something about seeing that was so real for me. It was a life-changing moment. I felt something different.”
Jason Swann is beginning his sixth year as principal at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Regional Catholic School in Herrin. He previously was principal for three years at St. Mary School in Centralia.
Swann said plans that are made to manage the first few days of school don’t always materialize.
“It’s strategic when we first start, but very quickly, we know that’s not going to work,” he said. “In all honesty, it’s very chaotic in a good way. There’s a lot of hustle and bustle. Teachers are generally excited. They’ve had a break over the summer, but have been working diligently to get their classrooms together. Kids are super excited and parents are excited to get the kids out of the house.
“So it’s a lot of smiles and exciting moments. But also, a lot of exhaustion those first couple of weeks. What makes every year different is you have no idea what’s going to happen.”
Two schools in the diocese closed in May: Notre Dame Academy in Belleville and St. Ann Grade School in Nashville. Both shuttered their doors because of declining enrollment.
Swann, however, chooses to focus on the positive things happening in Catholic education.
“My concern is with my students that are there,” Swann said. “My concern is with my teaching staff and making sure they have everything they need to facilitate a successful year. I don’t try to focus on those (negative) things because then I’ll begin to sound like everyone else. My concern is the happiness of our (268) students moving forward.”
One of the teachers attending his first Teachers’ Convocation was Garen Vartanian, a native of Belleville who lives in Smithton.
Vartanian has been a successful journalist in the metro-east for many years. The Belleville West High School graduate will teach seventh- and eighth-grade English Language Arts at Blessed Sacrament Catholic School in Belleville.
“I am very excited about my first year at Blessed Sacrament,” Vartanian said. “Having grown up on the west end of Belleville, being at Blessed Sacrament feels like home and a return to my roots. Everyone at the school has been terrific and very welcoming. In this regard, I am really looking forward to teaching a wonderful group of students.”