Blogging Changes

"Progress is impossible without change." I used these words on progress to review my blog in order to figure out what changes need to be made. Readership of my blog was extremely high then dropped off quite a bit towards the end of the year. The novelty of the blog simply wore off. I need to do something different. If my blog isn't progressing, it is time to make some changes.

If you have been reading my blogs, you know that I have no problem trying to do things differently and changing things up. I'll take a chance on making things work. If it doesn't work, change/improve it and move on. With that being said, I am making several changes to my blog.

First of all, the blog is TOO long! A blog needs to be shorter because blogs should be a quick read. We live in a time where you have 3 to 9 seconds to get and keep people's attention. If not, the backspace and delete keys work quickly. So, I plan to shorten the blog.

Secondly, the blog focuses on too many topics. The blog should cover one topic at a time. Kind of like when you are writing a paper; focus on one topic.  In many of my previous blogs, I tried to cover way too many topics. So, I will focus on one topic for each blog. This will be so hard to do because I have so many topics I would like to cover.

Thirdly, I started this blog back in 2011 when I lived in Missouri. The reason I started this blog was to focus on Catholic education with an emphasis on Lasallian education because of my roots with the Christian Brothers. Not only am I a graduate of CBHS and CBU, but I also worked at CBHS, Holy Names, Helias, and Resurrection. All these schools were part of the Lasallian family. Plus, I am a founding member of the Blue Streak Scholarship Foundation, which is an organization whose mission is founded on the teachings of St. John Baptist de La Salle. Today, I am serving my third term as president of Blue Streak. My plan is to continue focusing on different aspects of Catholic education especially with updates on St. Ann Catholic School.

And finally, I will make the blog a little less predictable. Instead of publishing the blog every Sunday evening, I'll publish it at different times when I have something to share. And, I already have a long list of topics I would like to share via my blog.

Let's see what change will bring. Some people hate change. I'm not one of them.

God bless you,
Didier Aur, Principal
St. Ann Catholic School.

Holy Week!

1st Mexico Mission Trip 2008 in Diamante

I cannot believe that Holy Week is already here. I look forward to this week mainly because of the special memories it holds for me. When I was at Helias Catholic High School in Jefferson City, MO, I would take a group of students on mission to Mexico during Holy Week where we would team up with the students and teachers of Collegio Regis LaSalle.

The purpose of the mission was to take the

Mexico Mission Team in Cerro Blanco

consecrated hosts into the small villages in the Sonoran Desert so the locals could receive the Eucharist every day of Holy Week. Each of the small villages has a two-room school house and a church.  But, there are so many of these villages, usually 5 to 10 kilometers apart, that there aren't enough priest to go into the villages to provide the Eucharist during Holy Week. So, the missionaries would spend Holy Week in these villages in order to provide the locals with communion service where everyone had an opportunity to receive the body of Christ.

Cerro Blanco Concrete Floor Team 2009

It is my understanding that the Bishops of Mexico came up with the idea of creating missions where the missionaries are made up mainly of high school students from the Catholic Schools in Mexico. They train all year so they will be prepared for living in the villages and leading all Holy Week events and activities. Not only do the missionaries lead the Holy Week events and activities, they also serve the people of the villages by doing home repairs, organizing clean up projects, and even working to build churches.

On one mission trip to Cerro Blanco, our group of 17 missionaries (15 students and 2 chaperons) teamed up with some of the locals and installed a concrete floor in a church. The church had a dirt floor and no roof. Since then, another team has installed a roof on the church as well. I just got on to Apple Maps and was able to find Cerro Blanco on the satellite map. I found the church and it does have a roof on it.

Church Repair Team, Hermosillo 2010

On another mission to the outskirts of Hermosillo, we helped to refinish a church in order to have it ready for Easter Mass. We not only completed the work, we were also able to attend Mass there that Easter.

While in the villages, it is a tradition for the locals to invite the missionaries to their homes for lunch. This is when I learned that those who have the least give the most. It is amazing how that happens, and I have seen the same thing happen over and over. It is not always the case of the least giving the most because there are plenty of people who are well to do who reach deep to help others.

Anyway, back to my mission story. We would

Ana Lopez, my Mexican
Mission trip partner

be invited to lunch with folks that had almost nothing. As missionaries, we would go out in groups of two or three as to not overburden our hosts. They wanted to share their almost nothing with us as a thanks for our work as missionaries. I believe their almost nothing actually contributed to more kindness, more humility, more caring, and bigger hearts.

Eucharistic Minister in
Cerro Blanco

The most memorable meal was when a blind lady invited three of us to eat at her two roomed cinder block hut with dirt floors. She served homemade corn tortilla cooked on a wood-burning stove that was actually an oil barrel with a hole on the side to fill with wood. We watched as she hand-rolled tortillas and placed them on the stove top to cook. Since she was blind, she cooked by touch and feel without the use of any cooking utensils. Those were the best tortillas I've ever eaten, and being in her humble home made us appreciate her gift of food even more.

On Good Friday, we would reenact the Station of the Cross in full

uniform including Jesus carrying a cross. Each station was set up throughout the village as we would precess to the highest point in the village, which was usually a small mound, to the final station for the crucifixion. Everyone in the village took part in the stations. The American students learned their lines in Spanish in order to participate. It was powerful seeing your students on the cross next to Jesus. One year, I was a Roman guard. I did not like playing that role. Even though it was a reenactment, I could not force myself to turn around to watch Jesus carrying the cross.

Team Cerro Blanco in La Y Griega

Also on Good Friday, weird things would take place. One year, the full moon of Easter was extra bright and appeared to have a ring around it making it look like Saturn. The missionaries in the other villages saw it as well. The following year, we had rain and strong winds for most of the night on Good Friday. I know it rained because I slept outside in the Sonoran Desert during these missions. The next morning, I asked one of the locals about the rain. His reply was that he had never seen rain in that village except in December.

Satellite View of Cerro Blanco

On Easter Sunday, before the mission came to an end, all the missionaries and many of the locals from all the villages would attend Mass in La Y Griega, which is a part of the city of Caborca. Easter Mass was a celebration like I've never seen in a Catholic Church. The students celebrated and danced as they received the Eucharist. The priest was so overcome with joy that he just sat and watched the students sing hymns and dance, which took place after nearly 250 students had a group hug with the priest. I'm not too proud to say that I was overcome with tears and emotions watching this celebration of love and resurrection. It was always a great ending to fantastic missions.

I long to return to missions with my great Mexican friends from Colegio Regis. I hope to one day take students back to Hermosillo for missions. My life and the lives of all the missionaries changed for the better on every mission trip we attended.

Seth Nichols, 2015
Jacob Christian, 2016

On my final two mission trips in Mexico, I was partnered with Ana Lopez. We formed a great team and were the lead chaperons in Hermosillo and Cerro Blanco. She was like my little sister. Several years ago, Ana lost her battle to cancer. When Holy Week arrives, I think of Ana and the great times we had leading the high school missionaries in the deserts of Mexico. Ana Lopez...Pray for us!

Nick Agnew, 2014
Tony Craig, 2016

Since today is the first day of Holy Week, the students of the Catholic Schools throughout Mexico are now in the villages serving as God's ambassadors sharing His love with those who normally don't have the opportunity of receiving the Eucharist. Please pray for these missionaries and the success of their mission. They are spending a life-changing week doing what we all should be doing every day; serving God by living Matthew 25:40.

Student and Alumni Spotlight.

Adam F.

St. Ann was well represented at the 55th Annual State Bowling Tournament in Smyrna this weekend with both current students and alumni taking to the lanes. Adam Fillion ('20), and Ethan Nichols ('22), bowled in all events including singles, doubles and team. The team that Ethan was on came in 7th in the State out of 37 teams in their division. Alumni Nick Agnew ('14), Seth Nichols ('15), Jacob Christian ('16), and Tony Craig ('16) also bowled in singles, doubles and team. To participate, bowlers must be in a junior sanctioned bowling league.

Taylor D.

This weekend, Taylor Damore played in the St. Louis Scott Gallagher Soccer Tournament with his Arlington Soccer Association '07 team! They had snow in that area this weekend so I know it was cold.

One last thing, I have to share a picture of our students using the new headphones in the computer lab thanks to Jim and Susan Garts!

Please keep St. Ann in your prayers as we make our way through Holy Week.

With Easter Break coming up, the next blog will come out in two weeks unless some fantastic things take place between now and then.

God bless you and have a fantastic Holy Week,
Didier Aur, Principal
St. Ann Catholic School

EE, CPR, 1st Aid, Advanc-ED, and De La Salle

I wrote my first blog in 2011 when I was the president of Helias Catholic High School in Jefferson City, MO. That first blog was on St. John Baptist de La Salle's 3rd guideline in his Meditations for the Time of Retreat, which stated: "That those who teach the young are cooperators with Jesus Christ in the salvation of souls." That blog explains why I believe in Catholic education. Seven years later, I feel even stronger about our role as Catholic School educators. If you get a chance, Click on the link below to read that blog.
http://didieraur.blogspot.com/2011/07/catholic-education-de-la-salle-style.html

St. John Baptist de La Salle

Back then, my blog wasn't a weekly blog. I would write when there was something I felt like sharing. Also back then, the blog got 12-35 hits. That number has been increasing as I've published more blogs. Now, my blog is weekly, and averages about 1,200 hits. The purpose of this blog is to create a positive culture of transparency while generating support for St. Ann Catholic School and my students.

Writing a weekly blog isn't easy. I don't develop an outline with the main points. I don't create a first draft, rewrite, second draft, rewrite... I just think about those things you should know about what's happening at St. Ann, and I start writing. When I'm finished writing, my wife reads it over to help find mistakes. Kelley also lets me know if what I'm writing makes sense. I definitely cannot proof read my own writing. We aren't English majors. We just do the best we can on the editing part. When she gives me two thumbs up, I hit the publish button.

New Fences
Campus Beautification

All that to say that I hope you find this blog informative. I hope it gives you a sense of ownership as to what's happening at St. Ann. I also hope that my students are reading the blogs, and it creates in them a desire to start writing a blog. You don't have to be a certain age or in a certain grade to create a blog. If you feel you have something worthwhile or interesting to share, start your own blog. I highly recommend it.

I'm excited about the great things going on at St. Ann. The Extracurricular Exploration (EE) classes have been a hit. The 3rd session of EE classes begins October 10th. Ideas for EE classes keep coming. I believe Mrs. Griffith is going back to the robotics class and combine it with the Robotics Club. The Robotics Club could start during the EE time and continue after-school. This is something she is working on.

I also want to try something new with EE. Our students are bright and creative. Are there classes they could actually teach if we have adults to help supervise? Yes, we do have classes they could teach. Just for starters, Ruby Langford can teach a sewing class and Michaela Crews can teach a baking class. When I mentioned this idea to them, they were super-excited about the possibility. Let's find a way to make it happen.

The girls self-defense class has been a hit. Like to take this a step further and include the boys. Tracy Angotti wants to add a dance class to EE. Maybe we can alternate between dance and self-defense just like the A and B day schedule. We could have the dance class on A days and Anime on B days. That's another possibility.

Our development committee is growing with the addition of Sr. Connie Tarallo. The committee continues to meet every Thursday at 4:00. Our alumni database continues to grow. We are hearing from more and more alumni. The plan for the Fat Tuesday Alumni Party is materializing. We have lots of ideas brewing. But, we are not going to do anything until after the St. Ann Fall Fest. The Fall Fest is everyone's top priority. We will do nothing to distract from the Fall Fest.

Fall Fest Events

Speaking of Fall Fest, if you haven't volunteered yet, my question is: Why Not? To me, every parishioner and school parent should give a little of their time to help. We are all talented people with something positive to share. It is going to be a great event. I hope we can all enjoy that weekend together.  To volunteer to help with the Fall Fest, click on this link.
https://stannfallfest.org/home/contact-us/volunteer/

Since this is a school accreditation year, we are using the Advanc-ED ELEOT classroom observation form. It is a student and not teacher-centered observation. The ELEOT observation identifies seven student-centered areas within the classroom environment. The other observation form we use is teacher-centered. The ELEOT is much more detailed and comprehensive. It also takes twice as long to complete but it is worth it. There is a good short YouTube video on the ELEOT observation form if you are interested in seeing what areas this observation covers. Here is the link to that video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2yx8sfoLig

St. Ann Volleyball Team

The 3rd-8th graders completed the Advanc-ED surveys, which is part of the accreditation process. The teachers will complete the survey this next week. Parents were asked to complete their survey last school year. I will find out if this year's parents will have the same opportunity to give feedback.

On Monday and Tuesday, all St. Ann staff members (teachers, front office, E-Care, administration) will go through CPR and First Aid training with the Bartlett Fire Department. This means that all of our employees will be certified in CPR and First Aid. We want to be prepared. This isn't a part of Advanc-ED certification but is a part of Pre-K certification with the State of Tennessee.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. Looking forward to another great week of educating our students, continuing our development work, doing more classroom observations, mentoring the young men in fourth grade, teaching my geography class, working the carpool line, and having treats for the puppies in the carpool line.

Finally, remember that without your support, St. Ann Catholic School would not exist. If you are looking for ways to support the school, please contact me at didier.aur@sascolts.org. Look forward to hearing from you.

God bless you,
Didier Aur, Principal
St. Ann Catholic School

Catholic Education: De La Salle Style!

St. John Baptist de La Salle

St. John Baptist De La Salle in his Meditations for the Time of the Retreat outlined sixteen guidelines for the Brothers to following in educating the children. Today's blog will focus on number three: "That those who teach the young are cooperators with Jesus Christ in the salvation of souls."

Why do we need Catholic schools when there are free public schools just down the street? Why don't the Catholic parishes just support their local public schools instead of the spending a lot of money, time, and effort in running schools?

De La Salle explains it pretty well in his Meditation for the Time of Retreat; it is for the "salvation of souls." We as Catholic educators are there to be cooperators with Jesus Christ in procuring the souls of our students for salvation. That is the mission we have chosen. We aren't doing this work for a paycheck because if that's the case, the public school pay is much better not to mention their benefits. We would leave what we are doing and apply with the public school system if money was our reason for choosing the field of education.

We are not only cooperators with Jesus Christ but students of Jesus Christ through the study of the Gospels. We know Jesus and model his examples with our students and peers. We have to walk the walk of Christianity.  Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "Who you are speaks so loudly I can't hear what you're saying." Catholic school educators walk the walk of Jesus Christ. Our actions must be positive and an example of who Jesus is.

How do we do this? This is accomplished through love, service, compassion, zeal, and much more. De La Salle explained it in the The Twelve Virtues of A Good Teacher. The virtues are a topic for another blog. For now, we as Catholic school educators need to be the best examples of Jesus Christ we can be so that our walk leads our students in their walk with Christ.

Another opportunity we have to bring our students closer to Christ is through prayer. We pray for and with our students many times each day. Prayer isn't there just in the morning or in a moment of silence. Prayer is a constant part of our day as is Mass, Rosary, Adoration, Reconciliation...

Why am I in Catholic education? I'm here because I believe in Catholic education. I believe that Catholic education is important not only for Catholic students but for all students even those who aren't Christians. My superintendent in Memphis, Dr. Mary McDonald, would always say, "We don't teach them because they are Catholic.We teach them because we are Catholic."

I would want nothing less than Catholic education for my own children. I have watched their faith flourish while being Catholic school students. I have seen what a difference it has made in their lives and the difference they are making in the lives of others. I have been very luck to be a part of this faith growth. In bringing my students closer to Christ, my life is a journey of faith in progress.

God bless you,
Didier Aur

Source: The Brothers of the Christian Schools
http://www.lasalle2.org/English/Resources/Publications/writings.php