Stories

ACE Blog

Students talking to each other.

Note from Sophia's student

Laugh at the Little Things

Though my first semester of teaching was a blur, it is defined by a sense of fun. Dropped into a new city, school, and job with only eight weeks of...

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Screenshot of CBS On the Road Series. Picture of the bottom of a swimming pool from atop with text that reads, "If I couldn't handle not being good at something, then how could I consider myself a successful person?"

What's Not in the Lesson Plan

It might be crazy to admit that one of my objectives on Fridays is to get my students to cry, but it isn’t because I am giving an impossible test...

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ACE Teachers singing joyfully during Lessons and Carols at December Retreat 2025

I Can't Wait

“We wait because there’s a promise. There’s a presupposition of something more worth waiting for.” “But I want it now!” is a sentence heard throughout the country this time of...

Sarah Perkins teaching

Forms Disciples: Give Comfort

"Give comfort to my people, says your God.” Isaiah 40:1 When I think about the book of the prophet Isaiah, my memory often conjures up powerful proclamations, calls for conversion...

Mark Longe headshot

Engineers Improvement: Entering with Humility

One of the highlights of my time as an elementary school principal was the opportunity to visit other Catholic elementary schools, most often during accreditation visits. These experiences were always...

Greg instructing

Engineers Improvement: "Say More"

I found myself recently re-reading Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals. The historical biography tells the story of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, exploring how he formed and led his cabinet through...

From left to right: Kristen, Ashley, Marcello, Grace, Clayton, and Catherine in front of the Cleveland sign at Lake Eerie

Swimming with Gratitude

“Come on in, the water’s great!” I shout as I splash around in the choppy lake quite conveniently located only two minutes from our convent. “No really, it’s way warmer...

Jack Hutter (left) and Kate Chiappetta (right) outside ready to run the 2025 NYC Marathon

We Can Do Hard Things

“We can do hard things.” This statement can be found on the walls of each classroom at St. Charles Borromeo in Harlem, New York. Not only is it a great...