COLORADO SPRINGS. Diocesan superintendent of schools Holly Goodwin is a product of Catholic education, including  nine years of Catholic elementary school (there was no Catholic high school in her area). She is currently working toward a doctorate from the Catholic University of America.

During Catholic Schools Week from Jan. 29-Feb. 5, Goodwin will be a special guest of Bishop Michael Sheridan on his weekly radio show for KFEL 970 AM and KPIO 1570 AM, “Bishop Sheridan Presents” (Saturdays at 11 a.m., Sundays and Mondays at noon and Wednesdays at 7 a.m.). In anticipation of her hourlong appearance to discuss her vision of Catholic education and the good news of our local Catholic schools, Goodwin gave a preview to The Colorado Catholic Herald.

CCH: What is your vision for Catholic schools?

Holly Goodwin: We need to strengthen the support for the existing schools and build new schools so that a Catholic school education is available, affordable and accessible to all active Catholic parents in the Diocese of Colorado Springs who want their child to attend a Catholic school.  
All Catholics need to be aware of what church documents teach about the importance, purpose and mission of Catholic schools. And we need to convert hearts so all Catholics understand and are willing to fulfill their responsibility to pass the faith to the next generation.
Catholics schools are worth sacrificing for because they do an extraordinary job of forming and educating young people.  Catholic school graduates are four times more likely to register in a parish, attend weekly Mass, consider a religious vocation and become life-long, active, contributing members of a parish (Gautier, 2005).

The mission for our Catholic schools in the Diocese of Colorado Springs is:

United with Parish and Parents/Catholic schools in the Diocese of Colorado Springs/form each student into a disciple of Jesus Christ/who knows the faith, grows to love it, and lives it passionately!

No school is perfect, and those that are not striving to become truly Catholic and academically better will fall behind,  and in Catholic schools — where the stakes are so high for the souls of our children and our church — remaining the same is not an option!

How is this mission being fulfilled?

We have started several new initiatives in the last year.

1. We began the Aquinas Catechetical Institute (ACI) that provides advanced catechetical formation for those who serve in our Catholic schools. Those who walk the halls daily with the students in our Catholic schools need to know and model the Catholic faith. A school’s Catholic identity is partially dependent upon the actions and words of those who make up the school’s faith community. Attendance at the ACI provides ongoing formation for the teachers and staff members in the Catholic schools and helps them, through faith, nurture the minds and souls of the children entrusted to them. The ACI is open to all catechists in our diocese, and we are grateful that Bishop Michael Sheridan, Bishop Emeritus Richard Hanifen and several area priests served as teachers for the first institute.   

2. The religion curriculum that is used daily for all classes is being rewritten and will provide an extensive scope and sequence that is aligned with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It will provide students with many opportunities to learn, experience and practice the teaching and rich traditions of the Catholic faith. The goal is to have it written and approved so it can be implemented during the 2012-2013 school year.

3. A new program, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, is being introduced in the schools to supplement the daily religion program. The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is an approach to the religious formation of children, rooted in the Bible, liturgy and the educational principles of Maria Montessori. Children gather in an “atrium,” a room prepared for them, which contains simple yet beautiful materials they use to help them absorb the most essential proclamations of the Catholic faith.

According to the program’s co-creator, the late Sofia Cavalletti: “In an atrium the child can ponder a biblical passage or a prayer from the liturgy by taking the material for that text and working with it — placing wood figures of sheep in a sheepfold of the Good Shepherd, setting sculpted apostles around a Last Supper table, or preparing a small altar with the furnishings used for the Eucharist. Older children often copy parables from the Bible, place written prayers in order from the rite of baptism, or label a long timeline showing the history of the kingdom of God.”

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a sensorially rich experience for children and will eventually be available for students’ ages 3 to 9 years in our Catholic schools. It will give children the opportunity to grow in love and knowledge of God through the Catholic Christian tradition.

Our schools need to have a strong Catholic identity and intentionally plan for the mission of forming each student into a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Because our schools are academic institutions and because the development of God-given gifts often occurs through education, we are called to provide a quality, Catholic education that will allow our students to reach their potential and fulfill God’s plan for each of them.

4. We believe that parents are the primary educators of their children, and to support them in this role, we began a program called Parent University. The purpose of this program is to provide speakers and programs that help parents fulfill this most important role. Our faith teaches that each child is a gift from God. When a couple says yes and accepts the gift of raising God’s child, they enter into a covenant with God and agree to do everything possible to form the child in faith.

The first class offered this year discussed the history of Catholic schools, church documents and teachings on the role and importance of Catholic schools, and what it means to be the primary educator of a child.

5. All the Catholic schools in the diocese have been challenged to meet the requirements to apply for “Blue Ribbon School” status within the next five years. Blue Ribbon Schools are schools recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a school that provides excellence in education, innovative programs and meets the individual needs of the students they serve.

To meet this goal, schools will be adding formative assessments to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses and to inform instruction. Teachers are receiving staff development training to help them individualize instruction and new programs are being implemented to provide remediation and enrichment. Schools are upgrading technology by adding interactive white boards, document cameras, clickers and additional technology that will support student learning and prepare them for learning and leading with 21st century skills.

6. All schools continue to implement Core Knowledge but will integrate the national Common Core Standards in content areas and as specific grade level outcomes.

7. Additional revenue sources will be sought and a diocesan effort to write grants to help all Catholic schools reach their academic goals will be implemented.

Catholic schools have always been known for teaching the basics and producing graduates who are prepared for the next level of learning. The majority of the students who attend St. Mary’s High School come from our Catholic elementary schools. With an average ACT score of 26 and almost 100 percent of graduates attending and graduating from post-secondary programs, Catholic elementary schools in the Diocese of Colorado Springs are successfully helping each student develop their God-given gifts and preparing them to be the future leaders of our church and communities.

Service has always been part of the Catholic school curriculum as a means of teaching social justice and preparing graduates to be good stewards in their families, parish and community. Catholic school students, parents, and faculty serve their parishes in a variety of ministries. Students reach beyond the school doors and partner with other Catholic agencies to care for those in need. They support world missions and a variety or relief agencies. They are our church in action.

Every child will have successes and every child will make mistakes while attending any school, but not every child will be encouraged and challenged to reflect on those successes and failures in light of the Catholic faith in the school setting unless they attend a Catholic school. The words of great leaders of our faith reflect the mission of our Catholic schools:

— St. Augustine: “Faith is to believe what you do not yet see; the reward for this faith is to see what you believe.”

— St. Thomas Aquinas:  “God destines us for an end beyond the grasp of reason.”

— Blessed Teresa of Calcutta: “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”

Faith, academics and service are what set us apart.

What makes for a vibrant Catholic school?

A vibrant Catholic school is one where all members of the faith community understand the mission of the Catholic school and are willing to share their gifts in making the mission a reality.

It begins with everyone understanding that the school is inspired by a supernatural vision.  Each child is first and foremost viewed as a child of God, and everything that happens within the school should help that child become a saint and get to heaven. The goal of everyone’s efforts is to create “good citizens of this world, and the world to come” (Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education, 2006).

Students are surrounded by those who have this view and are willing to work, pray, sacrifice and act as role models of faith for the children. This community includes priests, parents, parishioners, teachers, faithful Catholics and students themselves.  

A safe environment is provided because it is understood that children must feel safe in order to take risks and learn new things. High expectations and quality academics allow God-given gifts to be developed, and students are challenged and nurtured to use those gifts to serve God and serve others.  

A vibrant Catholic school is one where the gospel of Jesus Christ inspires and guides every aspect and dimension of the school and all members of the school faith community grow in faith and are formed to become disciples of Jesus Christ.  The entire faith community is challenged to learn and grow in faith, evangelize and change the culture by living their faith passionately.  

This vision requires the entire Catholic community to support the schools’ efforts. It’s hard work and it takes sacrifice, but it is worth the effort. It is our duty as adult Catholics and it is an effective way to pass the faith to the next generation.

In Douglas County, a vote to allow school vouchers was overturned by a judge just prior to the start of the school year. How has that affected Catholic schooling in Douglas County?

As Catholics, we need to become politically active and get vouchers passed. In the states where vouchers and tax credits have passed, they have made a difference for Catholic schools.  

When I was working with officials from the Douglas County Schools, they consistently said the scholarships were about giving parents the choice to choose what was best for their children. If you think about it, parents can choose to send their children to schools that focus on forming mathematicians or scientists,  writers, doctors, teachers, artists, dancers, singers, actors, etc. — just about everything, except schools that focus on forming kids to become faith-filled individuals who have goals beyond this world. Catholic parents — all parents — should have that choice.

The good news out of what happened last fall in Douglas County is that the majority of the close to 30 families who had enrolled at Ave Maria Catholic School under the scholarship program decided to stay even when the scholarships were suspended. Catholic families re-set priorities, sacrificed and found a way to send their children to Catholic schools. The school and parish faith community united and financially supported those families who needed assistance. Enrollment increased, the school was voted “The Best of the Best” in Parker, and more young Catholics are attending a school where faith, academics and service are stressed daily and dedicated teachers intentionally work to form them into disciples of Jesus Christ.