THOUGHTS FROM OUR HEAD OF SCHOOL, JOSEPH VORBACH:
Two weeks ago, I went to Baltimore to watch my niece perform in a high school production of "High School Musical" that had been updated in some minor ways to reflect, for example, the ubiquity of cell phones. The whole experience was a bit of a flash back to the popularity of that musical's soundtrack over a decade ago, as my daughter was entering middle school and I was not a high school administrator.
Watching the show through the lens of my current role was very interesting. Of course the show dramatizes various high school stereotypes, but it succeeds along the way in affirming some important messages about education, messages that Catholic schools like ours are well suited to give our students.
Two examples jumped out at me:
1) Students learn best when they know their teachers, counselors and coaches care about them.
2) Children are blessed by God with unique gifts and talents and educators are challenged to support and encourage their use of those gifts.
Both Troy and Gabriella needed encouragement and support to pursue participation in the school musical. In the production, we see positive and negative examples regarding support. The show has a scene in the cafeteria when several characters reveal that they are interested in pursuing something different than what they seem to be best known for in school -- the athlete who likes to cook etc. The song they sing in this scene is titled "Stick to the Status Quo." Ten years ago, I thought the whole scene was cute and creative and a little funny.
Watching it the other day had me thinking about all the students I have seen at O'Connell over the past decade—students working on figuring out what they were good at and what they wanted to be good at. Sometimes these students feel stuck, and I am reminded of the teachers, parents and counselors who are working together to help students through this.
My head was swimming when the production was over, and my admiration for our students, our parents, our counselors and our faculty was reinforced.