THOUGHTS FROM OUR HEAD OF SCHOOL, JOE VORBACH:
Yesterday was a real joy. Greeting the Class of 2021 at the front door with Mr. Patton was wonderful -- something I look forward to every year and was blessed yesterday to experience for the tenth time since my arrival at O'Connell in 2008. In the faces of our arriving freshmen we saw excitement and trepidation; in those of the parents dropping off we saw pride and a little sense of the bittersweet.
My own emotions included excitement at having arrived at this moment, pride and gratitude for the tireless efforts of the team at the school to prepare for this moment, and prayerful humility in reflecting on the school's responsibility to work with and for the parents and guardians of these young men and women.
In the days leading up to yesterday's welcome, I had had the opportunity to speak first with all of our new teachers and their mentors, and then with our entire team. In my brief remarks, I asked our teachers, counselors and coaches to keep two things constantly in the forefront of their minds throughout the year:
(1) the worth and dignity of every student they interact with over the course of the year (bearing in mind that the learning process will only be successful if students believe that educators care for them),
(2) their responsibility as professional educators to ensure that our students are the beneficiaries of a rigorous, relevant and student-centered learning experience that is well-planned and delivered.
While I have confidence that our team is locked on to these priorities, I wanted them to hear it from me and I want all of you to know I shared these thoughts with them.
We were blessed on Tuesday of this week to join with the teachers and counselors of the entire Diocesan school system to celebrate Mass with the Bishop at All Saints Parish in Manassas. This recent tradition of our school system serves a powerful opportunity to be reminded of the importance of the vocation we share and the fact that we are not alone in our endeavors. Bishop Burbidge called upon Pope Francis's words on the subject of spiritual encounter to encourage all educators to "look up" to the Lord and to teach and encourage our students to do the same, particularly in times when there may seem to be more darkness (In his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, the Holy Father writes, in part, "I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since 'no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord.' The Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk...")
When I spoke to the freshman class for the first time yesterday, I asked them to consider those around them and the the ways that any worry or anxiety about the day might be impacting them. I asked them to consider how they might be the face of God for another through some simple random of act of kindness in the coming days. Certainly in saying this I was encouraging some thoughtfulness on their parts about the ways that they, the newest members of the O'Connell community, can be part of the best things about O'Connell and its traditions. During my ten years at our school, I have witnessed time and again the power of young people to bring light whenever darkness threatens. The bright faces of the Class of 2021 are poised to do more of the same.
I shared with you briefly a few weeks ago our excitement about the superb team of new educators joining our team this year. I encourage you to learn a little more about them at THIS LINK.
I look forward to seeing you all soon.