Alliance for Catholic Education
As we enter into a new year, we also look back on the past year and our most popular news stories and blog posts.
Not Your Typical ACE Summer
It was a Wednesday. At school. Last period.
As the students entering her classroom were commiserating over the news that the NCAA Tournament had just been canceled, Fiona Williams (ACE 26 - Jacksonville) was trying to process an email from Notre Dame that said campus would be closing down for the foreseeable future.
“I just remember that pit in my stomach and thinking, Oh no, ACE Summer is definitely not happening.”
USAID awards $8 million to Notre Dame to expand early literacy, learning program
Recognizing the impact of the University of Notre Dame’s efforts to improve childhood literacy in Haiti, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded an $8 million grant to the University to expand its early-grade literacy and social-emotional learning programs and improve early childhood development.
Mentorship, Radical Accountability Propels First-Year ACEr to Teacher of the Year Award
“English class is an opportunity for students’ voices to be heard,” stated Joe Crowley, an ACE 26 teacher at Archbishop Shaw High School in New Orleans, Louisiana.
“That is really important, and I think the only way students experience that is to have a teacher who is willing to journey with them.”
Kelly Foyle and Tim Woodward Honored with 2020 Pressley Awards for Excellence in Catholic Education
Named after Dr. Michael Pressley, ACE’s first academic director, the honor is presented annually to two graduates of the ACE Teaching Fellows program who have distinguished themselves by making significant contributions to the ministry of Catholic education. Kelly Foyle, a member of ACE 15 and the assistant principal at St. Barnabas School on Chicago’s South Side, and Tim Woodward, an ACE 18 grad who now teaches literature at Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep, were the recipients of this year's award.
A Frassati Intern's Experience in LA
“I hopped off the plane at LAX with a dream and my cardigan” …
Well not exactly, but that didn't stop me from humming this tune when I first arrived in Los Angeles for my internship with the Specialty Family Foundation this past summer.
I had a lot of thoughts about what the Frassati Internship would entail, but, to be honest, I didn’t know what exactly to expect.
Build and Never Give Up!
The Program for Inclusive Education is pleased to introduce Jill Reffett and Jeanne Loftis, two amazing advocates for inclusion in Catholic schools. Both women direct non-profit organizations that advocate and provide support for Catholic schools in their pursuit to include ALL students. Jill is the executive director of EMBRACE and Jeanne co-founded Oregon ICE.
Forming Educators from a Distance
At the beginning of 2020, who would have foreseen that this would become the year of Zoom calls? Our day-to-day lives have been transformed by the need to social distance, and we’ve all had to find new ways to connect with one another. By now, we’ve become accustomed to seeing only as much of people as can fit into a rectangle, and “Zoom fatigue” is setting in. We’re eager to know what life will look like in a few months, and as educators, we’re especially eager to know what it will look like to reopen schools and classrooms.
The Chronicles of Francisco: Sowing Seeds on a Journey to School Leadership
For Francisco Castillo-Fierro, the journey from his hometown of DC to the Bay Area featured detours to places like Phoenix and Santiago, Chile, and a few pit stops at Notre Dame to earn two master’s degrees.
The Music To My Ears: Technology in the Performing Arts Classroom
When conceptualizing blended learning, we often think of subjects like math, science, and reading comprehension. Performing arts may seem like it’s on the opposite side of the learning spectrum from technology — “calculation” vs. “inspiration.” Can computers ever enhance performing arts instruction? Brian Scully, the newest member of the HPL Team, writes about his experience teaching music through blended learning and the gift of personalization that technology brought to his classroom.
Two ACE Graduates Awarded 2020-2021 Fulbright Scholarships
Two graduating Teaching Fellows from the Alliance for Catholic Education were awarded Fulbright grants. Alexis Larios and Meghan Santella will be English teaching assistants abroad during the 2020-2021 academic year.