SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATING COVID IN THE PRINCE GALLITZIN QUADRANT
COVID-19 has presented many challenges to the world, and our schools are no exception. However, as history has shown, the Catholic schools in the Prince Gallitzin Quadrant have not only risen to the challenge but have continued to consistently provide a quality education in every school.
Every school has implanted online learning into their curriculum, using Schoology, a new learning platform, that allows for communication and assignments to all be in one place. Each school was prepared for this after the faculty went through training. This training, dedication of the staff, and commitment by each school has allowed everyone to succeed.
Mrs. Rhonda Seymour, principal at Saint Michael School in Loretto, is very proud of how her school has met the challenges. She said, “I am proud of the resilience that my faculty, staff, students, and parents have shown throughout the entire pandemic. The transition from in-person learning, to remote learning, and back to in-person learning, went rather smooth. I am proud that all of my teachers and students for the hard work and dedication that they had during remote learning time.”
Mr. Jeff Maucieri, principal at St. Benedict School in Carrolltown, echoes Mrs. Seymour’s sentiments. He said, “I am proud of the flexibility with the staff, students, and families in dealing with the several cases of COVID-19 that we had. We had to go fully remote twice so far this year and we never missed a beat with instruction.”
Mrs. Kathy Maurer, principal at All Saints in Cresson, is very proud of her school community and how they have reacted to the challenges presented by Covid. Mrs. Maurer said, “Attending ASCS is belonging to a family that plays, grows, and loves together. We experience bumps and bruises along the way just like a real family does, but we learn and improve when we do. Dealing with Covid has been a huge bump, but everyone has worked hard and persevered through it.
Mrs. Katelyn Waterhouse, middle school teacher at St. Bernard’s in Indiana, emphasizes that while solid instruction has never been an issue with any Catholic school, the challenging times encouraged her school to step up their Christian actions. “We always concerned ourselves with the well-being and spiritual growth of our students, but we have grown our empathy towards each other as a community in need of a little extra kindness and support,” said Mrs. Waterhouse. “While the distance learning minimizes the interruptions of sickness and weather, it cannot replace the smiles and interaction we get from seeing and being with each other every day.”
Mr. Steve Cotchen, BCCHS Head of School, believes that even though the pandemic has forced schools to adapt, he doesn’t necessarily see that as a bad thing. “There are many changes that we have made that I believe will stick moving forward,” said Mr. Cotchen. “We have devoted a great deal of time and attention to cleanliness and good hygiene habits in the school. Thanks to generous donors, we have installed touchless water bottle filling stations, desks are sanitized between classes, the cafeteria is sanitized after lunch, and all are stepping up to put an emphasis on overall health.”
Ms. Jo-Ann Semko, Director of Education for the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, described what the last year has been like for the school and her hopes moving forward: “Imagine skiing down a beautiful mountain just enjoying every moment, and suddenly an avalanche begins to rumble overhead. Your heart begins to pound as you try to race ahead of it and stay above the impending disaster. If you can picture that, then you know what this past year has felt like to our teachers. On March 13th at 3:03 PM, the call came that schools were ordered to shut down across the state because of the novel coronavirus. We complied with the order, gathered our senses, and reopened on March 16th as everything was new and different. Our classrooms were empty, but our students still needed to be educated. Our teachers, who are our heroes, rose overnight to meet the needs of their students. Every teacher dug their heels in, spent the weekend changing their plans to a virtual format and rose Monday morning ready and willing to do their part to keep our students moving forward. Their dedication, concern, and ability to succeed for the sake of the kids was overwhelming. They have faced many, many challenges this past year but not one of them has given up and every one of them has kept the focus on what is best for their students. Has everything been perfect? Of course not, but everything the teachers, administrators, and staff members have done, has been done with the intention of making the best out of the pandemic that they could for their students. Teachers have worked around the clock reworking everything they know about educating students into a completely new world. I can attest to the fact that they have nailed it thus far, are learning more each day how to get even better and will not stop doing whatever it takes to help each child succeed. That's a guarantee! Those are the teachers of the Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.”
Each school is proud of the work they are doing, and that is also seen in the community. Interest in Catholic education in the Prince Gallitzin Quadrant has risen significantly this year, with every school seeing an increase in enrollment enquiries. Parents recognize that Catholic schools can safely educated students in-person, and, if need be, can do so virtually to a high degree. At this point in the school year, each school is averaging having over 75% of their school days as full in-person instruction, far exceeding the totals of any other local schools.
Michael McKenna, columnist for The Washington Times, recently wrote, “What makes Catholic schools different is that they understand education to be an essential part of salvation. That means that everything taught, and everything learned is specifically directed at understanding God’s creation and our place in it.” He added that, “Catholic education tends to produce people who are comfortable with the notion that the present and the tangible are not all there is.” Aristotle once said that, “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” The schools of the Prince Gallitzin Quadrant have made faith instruction and guidance a top priority during the pandemic.
Not only are the students benefitting from having much more in-person instruction than other schools, they are also receiving religious and moral guidance. Bridget (Rieg) Hegemann, St. Michael and Bishop Carroll graduate and current St. Michael School parent, remarked, “There was never a question in my mind about sending my children to Catholic school. I knew I wanted them to grow up with God at the center of their lives as He was for me when my parents sent me to St. Michael’s. Being able to learn about God, live your faith on a daily basis, and pray together as a school family means the world to me.” Mr. Maucieri believes that the students at St. Benedict are learning and growing spiritually from this trying time as well. “We offer that every student can go forward from our school and into the world living the Gospel messages.” Beth Golden, parent of BC and All Saints students, remarked, “The All Saints principal and staff quickly and consistently adapted to the changes in learning. They provided quality lessons with caring and understanding. As a parent, I appreciated how teachers kept my children accountable and on track during remote learning.”
Lisa Maxwell, parent of children at BCCHS and All Saints, commented on how the small school size has assisted in the ability for the schools to continue doing what they do best. “It was a true blessing that our school has a smaller enrollment, because our faculty was able to easily socially distance the children and still be able to provide them with a wonderful Catholic education five days a week, said Mrs. Maxwell. That sentiment is shared at Bishop Carroll as well. With the size of the classrooms, and the hard work of Guidance Counselor, Mrs. Chris Laverick, the average class size was greatly reduced by adjusting the class schedule. Classes have a maximum of 17-18 students, with most averaging far less. “Everyone loves having the smaller class sizes,” said Mrs. Laverick. “I believe that this has helped our students so much educationally, and I hope that we are able to continue having smaller class sizes post-Covid.”
Even though we beam with pride for how each school has navigated this pandemic successfully, everyone is looking forward to coming through to the other side. Mr. Maucieri added, “I am looking forward to seeing exactly where we land after all of this. We have grown so much, even when we didn’t think we were able. We have changed forever and hopefully and prayerfully, for the better.” Mrs. Seymour said, “I am proud of our students, families, and staff for how well they handled all changes during COVID. I want to thank all of them for their dedication and support. I am looking forward to getting back into the routine of school and returning to a sense of normalcy.” Mr. Jonathan Nagy, Dean of Students at BCCHS said, “I am proud of the work that has been done by faculty, staff, students, and families, to make the best of the situation. I know that we will all come out stronger on the other side. It may have taken a worldwide pandemic, but the world is seeing what we have known all along; that Catholic Schools work hard in providing for the needs of students and rising to meet any challenge.”
For more information on any of the schools in the Prince Gallitzin Quadrant, please visit our website at www.bishopcarroll.com, and click on “Grade School Partners” under the Admissions Tab. A K-12 Catholic education is worth the investment and is a gift to our children that assists in creating a strong foundation for a successful, faithful life.