A BCACS Christmas Story...

Christmas is a time for stories and here is one our BCACS staff shared with me.

Shortly before Christmas break, the staff of the St. Joseph Elementary School found a surprise on their desk in the morning – a large gourmet candy cane lollipop.

It wasn't just one grade or certain teachers – everyone had one. Not knowing whom to thank, the staff started to email each other for answers. No one knew.

Giant lollipops are sure to attract young eyeballs. Soon the students were aware of the staff' quest to know who gave the sweet treats. A few of the younger ones thought it must be Santa Claus, as leaving gifts in the night without a note is his calling card. Other students thought someone else fit that description – the school's custodian Mike Gagnon.

Mr. Gagnon has been with the BCACS for many years, starting at St. Philip High School before moving to St. Joseph Elementary School.

“Mike is a soft-spoken, friendly but quiet guy,” Cathy Erskine, BCACS enrollment manager, said. “He’s super-conscientious of the quality of his work and always willing to lend an extra hand whenever needed.”

“Our students think the world of him,” Jeanine Winkler, St. Joseph Elementary administrative assistant, said. “While other schools might consider his job to been done by someone invisible, our students consider him often throughout their day. He is on our prayer lists, they send him ‘I am Thankful for You’ cards at Thanksgiving, and there is always a ‘hello’ in the hallway and a ‘thank you’ when he unsticks a stuck locker.”

Turns out the kids were right. Mr. Gagnon was the staff's secret Santa.

“When I thanked him, his response was, 'I am just glad that I able to do something like that for you guys,'” Ms. Winkler said, noting his “humble quietness” before he returned to his work.

This story warmed my heart.

I have met Mr. Gagnon many times over the years, usually when picking up a kid’s project after school or dropping a kid off at the gym for basketball practice. He silently sweeps the floors and tidies the chairs, stopping only to ask if I need anything. A few times he opened a gate or a door when one of my kids “forgot” an important assignment.

I can imagine him cleaning the classrooms and the offices of our BCACS staff and leaving the simple Christmas gifts without a note or fanfare before turning off the lights and shutting the doors.

The custodian may be invisible in some schools, but not here. Our kids appreciate Mr. Gagnon and his work. More importantly, they could connect the dots between this simple gift and the humble man who gave it.

Comments, questions, have a few suggestions? Write us at BCACS.Blog@gmail.com.

Don't put lit candles under the bed and other lessons learned from school Mass

I enjoy BCACS school Masses, partially for the unpredictability. You never know what young Catholics are going to do or say, which keeps us older Catholics from stodginess.

Kids don’t sit well or kneel well or stand in one place well, which is the exercise program of a Catholic Mass. They struggle with silence and reverence. So, why does Jesus insist we follow them? Perhaps because they have no pretenses.

When they sing, they sing loud. When they read, they read fast. When they shake hands for peace, they shake for keeps. You think they aren’t listening, but they are.

Once, I remember kneeling with my youngest and her first grade class. After saying, “Lord, I’m not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed,” my kid hissed in my ear. “Mom! What’s the word?”

See? Listening.

Once, I remember watching my son serve on the altar while the bishop was saying school Mass. My son and his buddy were holding the bishop’s staff during the homily. Watching it sway while two fourth-graders tried to right it made me chuckle. I don’t remember what the bishop said, but I left knowing it takes a lot of effort to hold a shepherd’s staff.

See? Learning.

I’m glad our teachers let the students lead school Mass. Even kindergarteners take a turn as lectors, cantors, and ushers. Seeing their brows bent in concentration, their earnest movements, their neatly tucked shirts – you know they are giving God their best.

My favorite is the homilies. Over the last 12 years, I’ve watched several different priests give homilies to our students, each one unique. Many ask the children questions, which sends dozens of hands into the air, waving and stretching. Often the children don’t wait for the priest to finish asking the question before their hands go up. They just want father to pick them!

I remember Father Bob Creagan talking to the students about not hiding their light under a bushel. The kids were struggling with “bushel”, so Father Bob decided to go with hiding their light under a bed. He asked what would happen if they put a lit candle under the bed, searching for someone to say it would be dark. Instead, the young student he picked said, “You’d catch the bed on fire.”

Father Bob lost it. We all did.

In many ways, it was the finest sermon I ever heard about trying to hide God’s light. You can try, but more than likely it will just catch something on fire and that will get your attention. I think that’s why I enjoy school Masses. You can’t hide our children’s light and that gets our attention.

Comments, questions, have a few suggestions? Write us at BCACS.Blog@gmail.com.

Sitting, Swaying and Sacrifice

Chairs with "wiggle" room

Before we moved to Battle Creek, my kids attended the public school by our home. The building was new and the principal was wonderful, but the school was overpopulated. My son's kindergarten class had over 30 kids, a first-year teacher, and no aide. My son was a quiet wanderer, which made him nearly invisible.

Unless he was in a chair. He tipped over a lot of chairs. It wasn’t intentional. Sitting always involved a little swaying.

His teacher spoke to him about this. She spoke to me about it. I spoke to him about it, but he just couldn’t help it.

We came to BCACS halfway through his kindergarten year. I was nervous for my quiet wanderer, but there was no need. His invisibility days were over. His teacher, Miss Judy Rohr, had him in her sights and he bloomed under her care. The wandering stopped, but the swaying remained.

Miss Judy didn't seem to mind, assuring me young kids just need to move.

Current kindergarten teacher Ms. Devin Dubois agrees. Instead of trying to change the kids, she decided to change the chairs.

Her research into flexible seating revealed that movement increases airflow to the brain, which enhances a child's focus.

“This made total sense to me,” Ms. Dubois wrote me in an email. “In order to meet the needs of all my students, I have to differentiate my instructions. So why not differentiate what we sit on!”

Ms. Dubois applied for a “Kinesthetic in Kinder” grant, which the Guido A and Elizabeth H Binda Foundation in coordination with the Calhoun Intermediate School District awarded her. Now our kindergarteners can choose how they sit and sway.

Each day her students select from five different seating choices, which include yoga balls, yoga mats, bouncy bands, and yoga seat discs. Each item enables a little “wiggle” room while sitting for instruction.

“Students can bounce, wobble, tap their foot on the bouncy band, all without bothering or getting in the way of other students’ learning,” Ms. Dubois wrote. “They are constantly moving, which means good air flow is getting to their brains, allowing them to focus more on their learning, which in turn, I hope, enhances their learning experience for them.”

Basically, kids like my son can wobble but not fall down.

Seeing photos of students using these creative chairs made me miss my little wobbler – now a senior in high school. I also felt a surge of gratitude.

 

It took time to write that grant. Personal, outside-of-school time. Our teachers are generous like that.

Catholic schools depend on sacrifice. As parents, we sacrifice our treasure to send our kids to the BCACS. Sometimes we forget our teachers sacrifice right alongside us.

Comments, questions, have a few suggestions? Write us at BCACS.Blog@gmail.com.

Feasting with the Bridegroom

If your kid plays sports for BCACS, you know about end-of-the-season athletic banquets. It’s the night when athletes, parents, and coaches gather one last time to celebrate accomplishments, appreciate each other, and eat.

It’s like Thanksgiving, but with fewer logistics.

Last week, I had two athletic banquets in a row. The first was for the St. Philip cross-country team, of which my son was a member. The second was for the St. Philip volleyball teams, of which my daughter was a member.

While I was eating Mexican spinach dip on the second night, considering a second helping, I thought about a Gospel story.

John the Baptist’s disciples wanted to know why Jesus’ disciples never fasted. Jesus, of course, had a brilliant answer. “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?” (Matthew 9.15)

Good point.

Technically, whenever two or more are gathered in Christ’s name, the Bridegroom is there. And our BCACS family gathers a great deal in Christ’s name.

No wonder we don’t spare the calories.

It’s not just athletic banquets. Ever been to a classroom party? A band concert? A double-header on a Tuesday?

When we come together, we rarely come empty handed. Someone is always thinking of our kids, whether it’s as simple as a cooler of bottled water or as grand as homemade cupcakes with swirls of frosting. Sometimes these mini-feasts are an organized effort, sometimes it’s a surprise, but there is always something.

Volleyball and cross-country schedules are packed with Saturday commitments, often a good hour’s drive from home. This doesn’t stop the feasting. Some good-hearted soul will organize the rest of us. A few group emails, a few helping hands, a few dozen covered containers, and voila – instant picnic for everyone.

The athletic banquets take this concept to the next level.

There is something special about seeing those tables lined with people's crock pots and serving platters on a weeknight. Whether thoughtfully purchased or homemade, we are generous with each other.

There is also something special about bowing our heads to pray before we eat. Sometimes the prayer is unique, led by a single person. Sometimes it’s the traditional grace, said by everyone. Either way, it is a moment of reverence, acknowledging the Bridegroom, before the feasting begins in earnest.

Conversation and congratulations fill the room. We relive memories, swap recipes, take pictures and help ourselves to seconds. And when the night is over, a few folks always stay to help clear the dishes, stack the chairs, and wipe the tables.

We’re lucky like that.

I doubt Jesus ever had Mexican Spinach Dip with his disciples, but I’m sure he would have liked it. Maybe even had a second helping.

Hungry for Mexican Spinach Dip? Don't worry. BCACS mom extraordinaire Heather Worden was happy to share her recipe with our BCACS Blog readers. Thanks, Heather!

Mexican Spinach Dip

provided by Heather Worden

Ingredients:
1 package frozen spinach
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cans tomatoes with chili peppers (such as Rotel), drained
1 12-oz package Mexican shredded cheese
1 small fresh jalapeno, seeds removed and minced (I used canned green chilies)
⅓ cup sour cream
¼ cup white onions, chopped
¼ teaspoon cumin (I added a little more)
½ teaspoon chili powder (I added a little more)
Pita or tortilla chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. The spinach may seem difficult to incorporate but as you stir, it will soften and blend with the other ingredients. Transfer mixture to a 2-quart casserole dish. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve warm with chips. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Harking a herald of angels

I went to a Catholic school which means Catholic school Christmas shows go back to my earliest memories. For weeks our music teacher took us through our assigned carols. Each grade sang two songs – one reverent, like “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”, and one fun, like “Frosty the Snowman”. Most of us had to stand on the risers. A few of us got to dress in costume and act. And a cross-section of students from all grades closed the show with the musical version of the Nativity.

It was a big deal attended by parents, grandparents, friends and family.

One year, the music teacher picked my sister to be Suzy Snowflake. She picked me to read the Nativity story. My sister got to wear a beautiful white costume with tinsel and ballet shoes. I got to wear the same thing all the girls were wearing – white blouse, dark skirt, and shoes that didn't make any noise. We both got to miss class for special rehearsals, but while my sister danced across the stage, I stood on the side, reading from Luke while other kids in costume acted out the Nativity.

I felt my sister received the better deal until the night of the show. Peering into that dark auditorium as hundreds of adults watched a group of schoolchildren perform the Nativity and sing “Silent Night” was powerful.

I never forgot it.

For the last 12 years, I’ve been one of the adults watching as my children perform in the annual BCACS Christmas recital. The experience is still powerful, maybe more so. It prevents this sacred season from being a Winter Solstice Gift Exchange, full of bills and calories and logistics. It reminds me of what I believe and who I am trying to become and why.

Having a school Christmas show is one of the luxuries of attending a Catholic school. There is no need to beat around the bush or filter for generic holiday ditties. We know the reason for the season and are free to celebrate it. Whether harking a herald of angels or smiling at Suzy Snowflake, Jesus is the eternal source of our Christmas Spirit.

The BCACS Christmas show is different from any other school event, even the musical ones. It's the only time of year our whole school family is involved – all the grades, all the parents, all the teachers and priests and administrators. Together we enjoy the energy of the little ones and the musicianship of the older ones and camaraderie of being communal shepherds of our BCACS flock.

And, as always, there will be kids in costume performing the Nativity, singing “Silent Night”, and connecting us to Christmas recitals past, present and future.

A quote that deserves an encore:

Our BCACS music teacher Ayesha Williamson Franklin shared this with our BCACS Family recently. It seemed the right “note” to end this blog post. ~nlvm 

“Today, a preschooler sang in music class. She has not said a word in music class all year and, it is my understanding, not much outside of class. Some days she would participate, but most days she would just sit quietly. Today, she sang. And it was beautiful - on pitch and full of joy. Today was a great day.”

Have a question about our schools? Want to highlight a special BCACS moment? Send them to us at BCACS.Blog@gmail.com.

One story behind the numbers

I’m a words person, not a numbers person. Test scores are about numbers, but numbers don’t always tell the whole story.

Don’t get me wrong, test scores are a useful tool to measure academic retention, but it is just one tool. My highly-driven child brought home the standardized test scores of an average student. While my highly-forgetful child brought home the standardized test scores of a budding valedictorian. As such, I never put too much emphasis on these scores. Neither child would benefit from believing those numbers told the whole story.

There is one test score you can’t downplay, and that is the one you receive on your college entrance exams. Most students in Michigan took the ACT. Now it’s the newly revised SAT. Whatever the acronym, these scores factor heavily into what colleges accept you and what scholarships apply to you. Anxiety over this number begins early. Many students take practice exams, enroll in preparation classes, and learn test-taking strategies.

St. Philip High School offers a yearlong course for juniors to prepare for their college entrance, which includes not only test preparation but also completing applications, creating resumes, writing essays, soliciting letters of recommendations and practicing interview skills. I appreciate this whole body approach, for as important as those entrance exams are, it is only one part of a college application package.

My highly-driven child took this course. Her exam score was in line with the standardized test scores she had received her whole life – fair, but not remarkable. Her application package, however, was remarkable. Her GPA, recommendation letters, resume and essays reflected the whole story. She had no trouble getting into colleges.

The school she wanted to attend offered two different merit scholarships based solely on GPA and test scores. My daughter qualified for the lower amount because of her test score. Kyra Rabbitt, St. Philip’s counselor and prep course teacher, contacted me personally about my daughter retaking the exam. I had my doubts. Those tests have never reflected my daughter’s ability. Why bother? Kyra persuaded me, saying we had nothing to lose and possibly money to gain.

She was right. My kid’s scored well enough to receive the higher merit award. The money is nice, but her teacher advocating on her behalf was even better.

When I saw this graph, I remembered my daughter’s face when she received those higher test scores. These numbers don’t lie – our kids have the highest average SAT scores of any school system in our area.

 

The numbers, however, don’t tell the whole story. Our kids do well because they stand on the shoulders of teachers, administrators, parents and parishioners who care about the whole student, not just the part we can test.

All of us here at the BCACS Blog wish you a blessed and happy Thanksgiving with your family and friends. We are grateful for all you do to keep our students knowing, sharing and living the Faith!

Welcome to the digital kitchen table...

Like most Battle Creek Area Catholic School parents, “BCACS” is part of my vocabulary. At first, saying those letters together felt like a tongue twister. After 12 years, it glides off my tongue with ease.

Those five letters represent more than a school system. They represent my kids’ teachers, administrators and coaches. They represent priests, lay ministers and music directors. They represent my kids’ friends and their families. They represent hundreds of donors who enable our schools to endure. They represent three parish families, who have functioned as a collaborative for our BCACS community long before Bishop Bradley grouped them as such.

BCACS is a community with roots that shoot one hundred years into the ground and branches that shade Battle Creek from end to end. We’re a family, but as anyone with a family knows, it isn’t always easy to stay in touch. Sometimes family members are overlooked. Sometimes there are misunderstandings. That's why we started this blog. It's for our BCACS family.

What will you find here?

God's kitchen table

A little news, a little humor, a little inspiration, a little companionship. If the BCACS had a kitchen table, this would be it. I don't know about your family, but we always end up in the kitchen. It's where the food is. It's where the best conversations happen.

Have a question? Send them to us. No doubt others have the same question. We’ll get the answers. Want to highlight a special teacher or school moment? We would be happy to share it with our community. Confused about a policy or need more information about the high school math program? Ask us.

Not all of us are the same, which makes our community so amazing, but all of us care about our kids. We all need Jesus and we're all in this together.

The kitchen is open and I am privileged to be your host. The email address is BCACS.blog@gmail.com. We are all ears. Until then, some food for thought:

Mass at St. Joe

Building up the church…literally: Emergency roof repairs have closed St. Joseph Church until Easter, shifting all weekend Masses to the school gym. Every Friday, our St. Joe Middle School students help transform the gym for Mass, including setting up the altar and lining up the chairs. “The kids have really embraced this job and have done very well,” said Don Shafer, St. Joseph Theology teacher.

I love hearing stories like this. It’s hard to be without our beautiful church building, but watching the Body of Christ work together makes wherever we gather beautiful. ~nlvm   

“The ability to laugh at yourself is the link between holiness and humility.” Nicky Gumbel, developer of Alpha

Parenthood gives me a lot of practice with this! ~nlvm