Reflection #85: April Showers

            As a retired St. Ignatius math teacher…for the record, it’s been 12 years now…April is a good month.  The weather begins to improve, I celebrate my birthday, and, this year on the 16th, I got to meet with former students at the April reunions.  I’m fascinated by the career choices of the members of the classes of 2006, 2001, 1996 and 1991.   When they left “1076” as starry-eyed 17 or 18 year-olds, I suspect their imagined careers were more glamourous.  Now the youngest of them is nearing 30, and the oldest …well, we won’t go into that.   Dreams and opportunity meet to create reality.  At least that’s what happened in my life, and I couldn’t be happier.

            Maybe I didn’t take a large enough sampling, but I noticed this year that many were involved in the manufacturing and construction industries, usually on a managerial level.  In the past, lawyers and doctors seemed to dominate.  

            That evening, I also found out Jim Luzzi and Kitty Hooper are both being inducted into the Ignatius Athletic Hall-of-Fame.  That’s great!  Congratulations to both of them.

            As a teacher, I always found April to be an exciting time.   The Easter break usually occurred during that month.  The school year was nearing an end, and plans for the summer were being formulated.  As the years passed, and technology gained a foothold in the educational system in math, math teachers’ summers frequently involved workshops in teaching methods using hand-held calculators.  The use of electronic devices often spawned criticism from “old-timers” about how those gadgets undermined the development of arithmetic skills.  I hear the same criticism today by those who complain that the computer prevents present-day students from learning cursive writing.  I’m not sure why it’s viewed as such a crisis, but I would imagine that the horseless carriage was criticized for cheating youngsters out of developing their horseback riding skills…as God meant them to do.

Of course, April was also a busy time for tying up loose ends.  We had to prepare for the final exams and try to figure out what some of our weaker “scholars” could do to improve their grades…or even pass our course.

 There is one unique characteristic about teaching.  No matter how the school year has gone, or whether all of the designated material has been covered, once the grades are handed in, the year is “over”.  Get set for a new beginning and vow to do better next year!

One last item: Frank Raispis turned 89 this past Sunday, so to commemorate the occasion, here is an entry from the Raispis/Spalding Cliches to-live-by:  "It's always darkest before the dawn, so if your going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it."

Reflection #84: The Coach is Retiring

           Having coached four sports during my teaching career at St. Ignatius, it should be no surprise that I’m still interested in how the athletic programs are doing.  Being of a “certain age”…my father-in-law would say, that I’ve “left the kids behind”…,  attending games and matches is somewhat difficult, but I regularly check the athletics page of the Ignatius website to find the teams’  results.

            When the basketball season ended, I saw that the varsity ended the season with a 15-15 record.  I have no idea if this result was disappointing or acceptable for the coaches and players, but, as an outsider, it seemed like a respectable record.  Of course, at the beginning of the season, there is always the hope of “greater things”.

            I also found out that Coach Rich Kehoe is retiring.  Coach Kehoe came to Ignatius from Loyola Academy in 1979, coaching the Wolfpack basketball team from 1979 to 1986 and then came back as an assistant to John Tracy from 1996 to 2002.  Rich took over the head coaching spot again in the fall of 2002.

         He also coached boys’ tennis from ’79 to 1984.  He resumed coaching tennis for a short time starting in ’97.  I never got to know Rich very well while I was still teaching at SICP, but, from what I did know of him, I have nothing but the greatest respect for his coaching skills.   This opinion was solidified when Jim Luzzi, the long-time soccer coach, told me that he (Jim) learned more about how to coach from watching Rich than any other coach with whom he was acquainted.  

During his career at Saint Ignatius, Coach Kehoe notched 329 wins. Coach Kehoe’s overall career record at the school was 329-227. Other career highlights include: IHSA Sweet 16 in 2000; IHSA Sectional Champions in 2000; IHSA Regional Champions in 1972, 1977, 1992, 2000, 2003, 2012, 2015; Chicago Catholic League Champions in 1971, 1972, 1973, 1976, 2000, 2004, 2005 (Co-Champs), 2012 (Co-Champs), 2015 (Co-Champs).

School President, Fr. Michael Caruso, SJ said, “Saint Ignatius has been blessed by Coach Rich Kehoe's work for so many years.  The athletes as well as our entire school community will always be grateful for the wonderful program he has built.  Some of the most exciting times in our community have taken place at home basketball games. Our prayers and best wishes will be with them.”

School Athletic Director, Paul Ickes, said, "Rich Kehoe is one of the last 'old school' boys basketball coaches in the Chicagoland area. Rich's own players and opposing coaches were tremendously impressed--as was I-- with the amount and level of preparation Rich dedicated in scouting opponents, reviewing game tape, and preparing practice and game plans.”

Please join us in congratulating Rich Kehoe on an incredible coaching career.  

Reflection #83: Judge Not…

            Today is Tuesday March 1, 2016…nearly the middle of Lent.  Yesterday the newscasters repeatedly referred to the day as “Leap Day”.   In my younger years, Feb. 29^th  was commonly referred to as “Sadie Hawkins Day”, the name derived from a newspaper comic strip, “Li’l Abner”, written by Al Capp.  It was the day of the year when young ladies were permitted to invite young men on dates.  Around this time of year, high schools and colleges even had dances called Sadie Hawkins Dances.  Now they’re called, “Turn Abouts”.  

            Also on the news last week, a scroll at the bottom of the screen announced that St. Ignatius would be closed in anticipation of a predicted snowstorm. As it turned out, the storm wasn’t nearly as bad as predicted. 

If you are a contemporary of mine…Lord save you…you might remember that Fr. Nastold, St. Ignatius’ principal from fall of ’64 until June of ’68, would go to heroic lengths not to close the school for weather-related occurrences.  The one exception that I can recall was the great snowfall in February of ’67, when the entire city closed down.  If there were other such days, the passage of time has clouded my memory, but I can attest to the fact that, during those 4 years, many a winter morning, the lay faculty groused about having to face slow traffic and icy conditions to get to school only to find our classes less than ½ full.   I recall on one such occasion, I had a class in which only one student showed up, but Father insisted that teachers were to teach whatever the number.  The student was thrilled.  At that time, the Jesuits lived in the front part of the school building.  It wasn’t nearly as difficult for them to make it to class.  That fact also was made when teachers talked among themselves.

Fr. Nastold’s motive was clear.  The core value in Jesuit institutions, including St. Ignatius, was academic rigor.  Despite our grumbling, Fr. Nastold was a good man and his decisions were in keeping with the common wisdom of the day.  The only way to guarantee academic success was by being in school.   

So are today’s Ignatians are “wimps”?  Not at all.  The times have changed. Many beliefs have changed since then.  Homogenius grouping based on one entrance exam score is no longer in use, and now students are much more likely to be encouraged to "teach" each other as is indicated in an earlier reflection about Jane Delaney who was named Educator-of-the-Year in 2004.

            Now when the weather makes travelling to school too treacherous, my grandchildren in 4^th and 6^th grade, don’t have “snow days”; they have “Edays”.  They have been instructed that, on such days, they are to read and do their assignments on their ipads.  In the ‘60’s, that wasn’t an option.  On the Ignatius website on the day in question, the students were instructed to check there assignments on line.  Suffice it to say, that wasn’t an option in 1966.

           

            In conclusion, regarding judging others, Frank Raispis’ first “Cliche to live by” says, “Judge everyone’s motives in the best possible light.”  Hear, Hear!

Reflection #81: A Reflection on the '60's

            When we reach a certain age, hearing that a former friend and colleague has passed away brings about a feeling of melancholy. 

            Such was the case when I heard that Fr. Harry Meirose, S.J., had died.  Father Meirose was at Saint Ignatius for only a short time, from 1964 to 1969, but in that time, we struck up a friendship and even took a couple of sight-seeing vacations together.  I’ve stated before that, because of our different life styles, it was not common for Jesuits and laymen to bond, so our friendship was somewhat unusual.

            His obituary stated the following: “After ordination, he taught religion and served as a student counselor at Saint Ignatius College Prep from 1964-1969. He then moved to Indianapolis, where he worked at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in various capacities.”  At Brebuef, Fr. Meirose joined his brother, Fr. Carl Meirose, who was its president at that time.

         At this point in my life, losing friends and colleagues happens far too often.  So many of the men that I worked with in the ‘60’s, both Jesuits and laymen, are no longer with us, and each time that I hear about it, I am left with a “tug” in my heart and fond memories of our shared experiences.

            On a happier note, again referencing the ‘60’s, on Jan. 15, the class of ’67 met in the alumni room, in the bulding referred to as “1019”, for a mini-reunion.  This has become a tradition with this class over several years, along with other gatherings through the year.  They meet to catch up on each others’ lives and reminisce about their “glory” days at 1076.  This year, after enjoying pizza, supplied by Cas Baczinskas, restauranteur and member of the class of ’68, most went to the gym with the hopes of cheering on the Ignatius basketball team to victory.  (Sadly, that night, the victory part did not happen.) 

Gathering for reunions is not their only activity.   At Christmas, members of the class of ‘67 have made contributions to help make the season a little brighter for a family in need.  They have also been instrumental in funding the upgrading of the alumni facility at 1019.

Though I am not a member of their class, I have been, for want of a better word, adopted by this group as a conduit to their past.  When they were students, I was a coach and teacher for many.  

            I’ve often thought that what this class of alumni do would be a grand idea for other classes, but it does take a fair amount of work and organization to pull off successfully. 

That’s all for now.   

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 2^nd 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 “4^th 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.”