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