A Reflection on Catholic Schools

From a Daughter, Mom, Teacher

 I am who I am today in part because of the Catholic education my parents provided me.  It’s my belief that my own children will reflect someday and feel the same. I share all of  this with you as this coming week we celebrate Catholic Schools Week.  Although young, your kiddos are part of a greater whole which is All Saints Academy. - Jane Reeves 

Hello Parents,

I was speaking with my daughter Tessa recently about a teacher at West Catholic High School who presented his class with the idea that how we’re remembered after we’ve died will be a direct reflection of how we’ve chosen to live our lives--thus...we might as well be nice.  Solid advice for a group of teens.  Later that evening it dawned on me that exactly 40 years to the day, I lost my dad to a massive heart attack. Our discussion brought me to ponder, how was my dad remembered--and how were those memories a reflection of the life he lived?  My own children, of course, never knew him--in a way I barely did as I was 11 years old at the time of his death. What I do recall was the regard in which he was held by so many.  His loss was a shock to our community and was felt deeply.  He had been a devout, joyful and loving man.  A specific memory I hold dear is that of his beautiful singing voice. The recollection of it’s deep, smooth tone brings me peace. It was always a source of levity in our home as although his singing voice was special, my mom had been instructed as a child to just  “mouth it” in the church choir.  She couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket!  Fast forward to today and you’d find that my household is a family of singers. Some are better than others--but we are always singing!  I like to think this love/gift of music was handed down from that legend of a man--my dad.  A beautiful way to remember him.

So...How do these ramblings of mine relate to All Saints Academy and your precious preschoolers?  Because that wonderful soul, Warren Eardley, was a proud and faithful product of Catholic education. Catholic schools helped to shape him into the man he became. He was a graduate of St. Francis Grade School, Catholic Central High School, Aquinas College and received his law degree from Catholic University. His life hadn’t always been easy.  He lost his own father to illness at age 7.  His first wife passed of leukemia 6 mos. after the birth of their second child.  Weeks after he and my mom had their first child together, their 3 year old son from his first marriage was killed by a drunk driver. Through all of those experiences, he turned to his God for strength and comfort. He joyfully lived his faith daily and believed in the power of Christ and Christ centered education. He understood that the educational choices his mother made for him had deeply impacted who he was.  He and my mom sent all seven of their children through Immaculate Heart of Mary Grade School and Catholic Central High School--which was no small financial feat.  But because of who he was and the faith he possessed, he understood that the value far outweighed the expense. I am who I am today in part because of the Catholic education my parents provided me.  It’s my belief that my own children will reflect someday and feel the same. I share all of  this with you as this coming week we celebrate Catholic Schools Week.  Although young, your kiddos are part of a greater whole which is All Saints Academy.  We’re a community which understands the necessity of growing souls in addition to (in “preschool speak,”) growing brains.  We love and value your child as a unique child of God, and it’s our mission to teach them fundamental saintly values: Be Fair, Be Safe, Be Kind. Those are simple words, but the weight of them encompasses what we do here.  We celebrate the opportunity we have at All Saints Academy to share our faith with your children and your families.  So this week’s newsletter is simply a thank you--to your children, for the dear little souls they are; to you, for choosing and providing Catholic education for your child, and to the the many students, parents and teachers who came before us.  We thank you.  We remember you.  We love you.

Blessings,

Jane