Developing a Compassionate Heart--Right Now and Long Term!

I shared an experience last night with millions of other people as I watched "Help Haiti Now", a global plea for help for the Haitian people who are reeling from the catastrophic earthquake that happened there. I was touched by the sincerity of the artists and the stories of search, rescue, treatment and tragedy. I felt a lump in my throat at the sight of a sweet, shy little boy who could not stop coughing from dust from the rubble under which he had been trapped for eight harrowing days. He had been saved from the rubble only to find out that his parents were dead and he is now an orphan. By the time Justin Timberlake sang "Alleluia", I had made my pledge.
This past week at Mt. Carmel there have been many discussions about how we, as a Catholic school, can respond to this disaster. Our kids,sometimes rough around the edges in terms of social skills and fairly self-absorbed as most teens are,remain always generous of heart. Many of them have a sense of empathy well beyond their years--I believe because they themselves have had to bear sadness and loss already in their young lives. So, I knew they would have some great ideas to help and they did! The Campus Ministry group, led so lovingly by Missy Lawrence, our Campus Minister, has pledged the profits from our annual pre-Lenten pancake breakfast to the cause. This event which is scheduled for February 14, 2010, in the high school cafeteria is a ticket at the door event. Come join us for pancakes, sausage, and eggs, served by the best teen "cooks" ever. The kids have dubbed the event "Pancakes for Port-au-Prince" and I know the breakfast will be a success.
Two senior girls are spearheading a raffle based on guessing the number of lifesaver candies in a huge jar. They liked the idea of lifesavers for life saving! There are also plans for a 50/50 raffle at Report Card Conference Night and there is always the rather self-serving Tag Day idea where kids can get out of wearing uniforms for a day by paying a dollar to a worthy cause. I think that all our ideas together will be a compassionate response to a great need. Since 80% of the people of Haiti are Catholic, I think our choice of supporting Catholic Relief Services is a good one. This sad event provides a life lesson for all of us that stems from a recognition that we are all one family on this earth and we need to take care of one another.
In thinking about our immediate "right now" response to this tragedy, I was mulling over the importance of developing a sense of compassion and service for the long run--not just when catastrophe strikes. It made me think of a little event shared by the faculty and staff recently. Our pastor, Msgr. Bob Hartnett celebrated his thirtieth anniversary as a priest this year. In honor of this milestone, he treated the faculties and staff of the entire Carmel complex--elementary school, high school, parish--to lunch on our annual dual retreat day in November. Always one to enjoy a good party, I think the event pleased the Monsignor! I think his words at the event, though, reminded us all of something important. He thanked all of us for sharing in his ministry and allowing "good" to come from the work that we share. There is no limit to all that can be accomplished when leaders, like Msgr. Bob, create environments where the mission is shared. When many people can say--"Here we are compassionate." "Here we work together for the good of the weakest among us." "Here we worry about the needs of people rather than who gets credit for what is accomplished."--a place for potential miracles is created. For us at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel I think that mission includes sharing faith and teaching young people to grow in mind and heart so that they, too, can be leaders who work for "good."
In conisdering both these recent events, I think there is a solitary lesson to be learned. In a situation like the one in Haiti, there must be an immediate response that overflows with generosity and compassion. In every day life, especially when we are reminded by the great example of leaders who have made a committment to the long race of building a better world--person by person--we need to learn to be generous and compassionate in the LONG run. I think we'd all like to say, at the end, along with another great leader and example--"I have run the good race, I have fought the good fight..."
So, if you haven't already donated to our brothers and sisters in Haiti, do so. Plan to come join us for pancakes on February 14 from 8:00-12:00. Most importantly, think about how to respond to the work of each day with a compassionate heart.

Beginning Again

I spent this wonderful day off tying up loose ends. Still a bit saddened by the Ravens game over the weekend, I faced an equally dismal debacle when I gazed at my house this morning. There were remnants of Christmas all over the place as well as a stack or so of uncorrected exams. I always feel more in control of my environment when I make a list (though I know this is self-imposed trickery), so that is what I did. Now, several hours later, the last of Christmas has been relegated to the attic, the exams are graded, and I am thinking about what I need to jot down for my next list.
This time of year can be a little bit of a downer for everyone. The holidays are past, the weather is cold, it is dark both going to and coming from work and many New Year's resolutions have already gone by the wayside. I am a firm believer, though, in not giving in to these negative vibes. What we need to focus on is what is to come!
In a school, there is a great deal of time during these winter months given over to imagining what could be--How could we make programs better for students? How can we modifry schedules so that we can get the most out of every day? How can we use the resources that we have, limited as they may be, to help students be ready for the challenges they will face after graduation? Questions such as these certainly add excitement to what could be a down time of the year.
This week at Mt. Carmel we will be having a Strategic Planning meeting that will focus on several of these issues. The Planning Team is a group of about 25 dedicated people who have worked for the last several years to move our school into the future. The committee is composed of people who are dedicated to our school and who also have vision. They are community members, alums, students, faculty, Board members and parents. Every stakeholder group is represented. When a person leaves the committe, they are replaced by someone in the same stakeholder group so that all perspectives remain represented as we plan for the future. One of our big topics at our up coming meeting will be technology. We are ready to move into another phase of our plan as we renew/update our lease agreement. Thank goodness the price of some of the equipment is coming down because it is crucial that every student have access to resources that are "out there!"
We are so blessed at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel High School to have Diana Fitzpatrick serve as our Director of Technology. Diane is a real example of someone who is a life-long learner. She is constantly searching for new information and then sharing her discoveries with the faculty. She teaches at CCBC, too, and is able to offer some of our seniors two three credit courses in Multi-Media as electives. They get the benefit of her expertise right on our campus and get 6 college credits too! This is quite a deal,I'd say.
Recently, Diane has been working with the faculty so that they gain some new skills to use in the clssroom. The technology boom is here to stay and is moving forward exponentially. We are getting students ready for a world that is yet to be!
Knowing that our responsibilty in a Catholic school is not only to teach students to access all this new information but also to teach them to use these tools ethically with a focus on improving life in moral ways, adds several quite complicated layers to our task of education. Students (all of us really) have to consider issues of respect,privacy, collaboation and integrity as we journey down new roads and through uncharted territiory on the rod to the information society. It really is exciting to think about what the world will be like in the next decade or so--Think of all the changes in the last few!
As Catholic educators, we need to be committed to learning the most up to date techniques in order to allow our kids to grow to be their best--in both mind and heart! What an adventure remains!
I think I just talked my way out of my dismal, post holiday mood--There are wonderful adventures waiting just over the horizon! Now, if I could only learn how to use my Facebook account!