Thursday, December 17, 2015

Reflection #81: Open House


            On Sunday, Dec.  6, St. Ignatius held its annual open house.  That prompted in my memory how different the nature of the open house is now from those held through the ‘60’s and ‘70’s.  In those days, there was more of a “carnival” atmosphere.  Students were assigned projects which were festooned on the walls of the classrooms and hallways.   Three-dimensional projects were placed on desks for the visitors’ interest and, hopefully, amazement.  One year, a Latin teacher, Ron Sipowich, led a team of students to build a Roman galley which filled the 2nd floor corridor.  
Through the late ‘60’s and most of the ‘70’s, a sharp decline in enrollment, brought about a sense of urgency.  In the early ‘60’s, it was common for over a 1000 boys to show up for the entrance exam, but by 1970, that number had dropped drastically. 
           The reasons for the decrease in students were many and varied.  There was the tuition increase, the “Days-of-Rage” combined with our location, and, finally, greater pressure brought to bear for Ignatius to give the entrance exam on the same day as all of the other Catholic High Schools.  (Most Catholic schools were subject to the dictates of the Chicago Catholic School Board; Jesuit schools weren’t.)  This brought about a certain sense of desperation.   The tone of the open house went from “Look how smart and creative we are” to “Please, please, please come to Ignatius.”
            In those early days, teams held practices in the gym to show off our athletic programs.  Now tables fill the gym advertising athletic programs as well as non-athletic activities.  Academic programs, instead of being presented in different classrooms, are now explained by teachers in the student library.  For those of you old enough to remember, that was the “4th floor gym”.  The school’s orchestra now entertains the visitors in the Brunswick Room, formerly known as the “Cambridge Room” which was off-limits to all but the Jesuits in residence.  Finally, our award winning theater group demonstrates their talents on-stage in the relatively new theater.
           

            I think it’s fair to say that. currently, there is a more “professional” approach to recruitment.  Now it’s, “We are an excellent high school which promises an education in the Jesuit tradition.  If you are interested, please consider joining us.”

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Reflection #80: An Eventful Time-of-Year

            I’ll start by asking for prayers for the repose of the soul of a good friend of mine, Fr. Joe Brennan, S.J. Fr. Brennan passed away on October 17 at Columbiere, the Jesuit retirement home in Michigan.  In the announcement to the faculty, Fr. Caruso wrote, “In 1990, after a sabbatical at Marquette University, Joe moved to Chicago where he worked at St. Ignatius College Prep until 2010.  In addition to student counseling, he was a faculty chaplain and a sacramental minister.
           In addition to counseling students, Joe used his gifts for the benefit of the Society.  He was rector of St. Xavier High School (1983-1989) and St. Ignatius College Prep (1990-1997 and 2003-2009).  He was also a Chicago Province Consultor (1986-1992).”
            Rest in Peace, Fr. Joe.

            On a happier note, 5 alumni classes met for their respective reunions in September and October.  The 50-year reunion of the class of 1965 was held in September, and was very well attended.   A growing number of class-members had been meeting monthly to prepare for the big event, and some suggested that they might continue to meet regularly because they enjoyed the company of their “old” friends. 
            Additionally, the classes of ’70, ’75, ’80 and ’85 reunited in October, exchanging stories of their life-experiences, I had the opportunity to visit with many, reliving some memories of events that we shared, usually at an athletic contest.  In the spring of ’70 was I was the varsity baseball coach, and I was the sophomore basketball coach for members of the class of ’75.

            Finally I was excited to read about the success of the football team.   Because of my age (None of your business!) and the distance that I live from Downtown Chicago, I wasn’t able to attend any of the games, but this year’s team had a far more successful win-loss record than we had the last season before our 40-year hiatus from football competition in 1962.  This year’s team was 6 wins and 6 losses with a 4 and 2 record in league play, and it included an opportunity to play in the post-season IHSA tournament.  In 1962, we would have given anything to have a “.500” record.  (You can read all about the 1962 football season in the 1963 Ignatius yearbook…if you can find one.)
            In an earlier blog, I recounted the obstacles we had to deal with then, such as having to practice at Grant Park everyday and having 4 varsity coaches instead of the 9 on the present day staff.  Now the team has practice fields on or near campus,  but, as the old adage says, “Comparisons are odious.”
            In conclusion, congratulations to the players and staff in the football program.

        

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Reflection #78: Father Arimond, S.J.


           Allow me to introduce you to Rev. James Arimond, S.J., a gentleman-and-a-scholar.  Father Arimond is mostly identified with Loyola Academy, the largest Jesuit high school in the world.  He is a graduate of Loyola, taught there and was headmaster for 11 years (1971-1982).  Since then he has stayed active with the L.A. alumni.
            From ’82 to ’87, he was Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences of Loyola U. and Director/ Academic Dean of Loyola’s Rome Center.  He was also headmaster at Fairfield College Prep in Connecticut from 1989 to 1996.  There he was able to turn around the fortunes of a school that was experiencing a financial crisis.  At each assignment, he has had vast responsibilities and vast authority, and he was successful.

            When I started teaching at Ignatius, I realized that there was a rivalry between these two Jesuit high schools.  Sometimes it was friendly; sometimes, not so much.   I would characterize the tension as a cultural divide.  Loyola was north-shore while Ignatius was inner-city, generally with families of more modest means. Through the ‘70’s, Ignatius struggled to stay open while Loyola thrived.
Over the years, when Loyola personnel came to Ignatius, they weren’t always greeted with open arms.  They often arrived in positions of authority, which meant they would be our “bosses”.  Whether true or not, the perception among veteran staff and alumni was that they were trying to change Ignatius into “Loyola South”.
So why do I write about Fr. Arimond as an Ignatius reminiscence?  From 1987 to 1989, he served as the academic assistant principal at St. Ignatius, which included being a member of the Curriculum committee and the Board of Trustees’ Academic Committee. 
From 1997 to 2003, Fr. Arimond was the Rector, a position which included being a member of the Leadership Team, the Religious Formation team and the Board of Trustees.   For 16 months, in ’97 and ’98, he was the acting-president, and like the good soldier he is, he was able to step into the job as president and keep the “ship on even keel”.  Now he is the Alumni Chaplain at Ignatius, attending any and all events that involve, even tangentially, alumni.
            Since most of Father’s responsibilities have been behind the scenes, not everyone in the Ignatius community is familiar with him.  Also, he had a unique approach in transitioning from Loyola to Ignatius.  It wasn’t his intention to try to change Ignatius, but rather assist the school in being the best Ignatius that it could be.  He sensed the nature of the school and worked within that framework.
                                                                                                                                                                                          Finally, I want to mention something that is near-and-dear to me; Fr. Arimond’s involvement in athletics.  Besides writing the history of Loyola football, while at Loyola, he was instrumental in moving the Chicago Catholic League into the Illinois High School Assn.  This earned him a spot in the Catholic League Hall-of-Fame.   In Connecticut, he served as President of the All-Connecticut Catholic Athletic Conference.
            For all of your service and contributions to Jesuit education, Father Arimond, thank you and God bless you.

            

Friday, September 11, 2015

Reflection #77: Meet Father Caruso

Since many alumni may not have had much contact with St. Ignatius College Prep in the last 5 years, I decided to write a “Reflection” about Fr. Michael Caruso, S.J., its current president.  I asked to meet with Father, and, in turn he invited me to lunch, which I found to be a delightful hour…plus, the food was excellent. 
In the interest of full disclosure, I admit to having been in administration as the athletic director for 3 years (it wasn’t pretty), and I learned 2 very important lessons. The first was that I didn’t want to be an administrator.  The second was to be slow to criticize those who have the authority as well as the responsibility.  There are many factors that go into making tough decisions that the “out-sider” may not be aware of.
There were 7 presidents during my teaching career at St. Ignatius, and, from my vantage point, I have nothing but the greatest respect for them.  Each of them had their own set of challenges in the unique environment during time that they served.  I’m also willing to bet that some, if not all, took the job more out of their commitment to obedience, than because this is what they chose as a part of their vocation.
This brings me back to Fr. Caruso.  Being involved in school administration is exactly what he wanted.  Early on, in our discussion, he mentioned that his story was neither exciting nor very interesting.  I’ll agree that there wasn’t a great deal of “excitement”, but I found it very interesting.  As I reflected on my meeting with Fr. Caruso, I had to smile.  A retired teacher and coach is made to feel perfectly at ease, chatting with the head of one of the most prestigious high schools in Chicago…and beyond.  Father Caruso has that rare ability to make everyone he comes in contact with feel like the most important person he’ll meet that day.
After our meeting, Father sent me a copy of his resume.  I was awe-struck.  I have always known the Jesuits to be intelligent and well-educated, but this was overwhelming. If I were simply to list his academic credentials, which includes a doctorate from the Institute of Catholic Educational Leadership, that would be impressive, but when one adds his teaching experiences, scholarly activities, workshop and TV presentations, publication contributions and awards, it would take up more space than I intend to use here. 
After I had a chance to peruse his resume, I emailed some questions.  Father was born and raised in Kansas City, MO.  I asked him what prompted him to become a priest and, of all things, a Jesuit.  In his own words, “I was ordained in 1982 for the Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph.  I was always attracted to religious life, but sought a community that was committed to education and an apostolic life.  The Jesuits and their spirituality made a good match.”
Something else in his resume that I asked about was his move to California, to wit he answered, “When I was encouraged by the Jesuits to pursue a doctorate, I found the Institute of Catholic Educational Leadership, at the University of San Francisco to be the perfect program for me.”
Lest you think that Fr. Caruso’s sole objective was education, he also has a Master of Divinity degree from St. Mary-of-the-Lake Seminary in Mundelein…Yes, our Mundelein…as well as partaking in Ascetical Studies at the Jesuit Novitiate in Denver.

Perhaps the most intriguing feature in Father’s resume was the frequent appearance of the name DISNEY.  The Disney name appears 11 times and, In fact, Fr. Caruso’s doctoral dissertation is entitled The Mission and Culture of Jesuit Higher Education: A Comparison of Strategies with the Walt Disney Company.  My only interaction, as a teacher, with Disney was occasionally showing the movie: “Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land”…surprisingly sophisticated, all things considered.
This, of course, prompted the obvious question, "What was the Disney Company’s allure as a model for Catholic schools."  Father’s answer was more complete, but the following quote was what caught my eye.  One summer day after my arrival at SICP in 2010, I was wearing a Disneyland Polo shirt.  A faculty member asked me if I intended to turn this place into Disneyland.  I said, "To the extent that people love coming here, have a great time while they are here, learn something, and can't wait to get back...that's not a bad reality to shoot for!"
         That has been my reality through 50+ years at Ignatius.  It wasn’t always the President that created that atmosphere, but folks like Pat O’Mara, Frank Raispis and too many other colleagues to name here.  That’s what has kept me coming back.