The Seal of Bishop England High School
Could it be an Easter miracle? On Monday we had not one but TWO stories circling the internet that promoted the success and joy of fully including students with disabilities in Catholic schools. TWO. For those of us who troll the internet regularly searching for the tiniest crumb of inclusion success, not to mention success within catholic schools, it was a banner day. 🙂
Exhibit A: Congratulations to Bishop England High School and to Martine Boudreaux, director of Bishop England High School’s innovative Options Program that fully includes students with intellectual disabilities in a Catholic high school. Martine was an award recipient at the NCEA (National Catholic Educational Association)’s recent convention in Orlando, Florida. She received the Excellence in Education Award for 2014.
http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150406/PC16/150409661/1177/at-bishop-england-high-school-students-with-disabilities-take-classes-and-go-to-college-just-like-their-peers
Spoiler alert: If the NCEA is handing out awards to people like Martine Boudreaux, they must be supportive and inspired by inclusion in Catholic schools.
This is HUGE! This is an indicator that the tide is shifting. Attitudes are changing. Respect has been hard earned and it is well-deserved.
Martine Boudreaux and Bishop England Catholic High School…we salute your groundbreaking efforts. [And we can’t help but give a shout out to the visionary behind that program, Dr. Cindi May, who just happens to be on our Advisory Board, we congratulate you too, Cindi!]
Exhibit B: Just as I began smiling and sharing the big news about Bishop England High School, another story came rushing through my news feed…a father thanking his school, St. Matthew’s Cathedral School in South Bend, Indiana, for the opportunity and hospitality of fully including his son Nicky in their school. His heartfelt words remind us all of the power of inclusion. Nicky’s unqualified welcome from the Catholic school principal was a shock to Nicky’s father and a rarity in our world. That welcome has echoed and rippled and planted the seeds of living social justice, breathing our faith, and living the life we proclaim that matters within that school. The leadership and vision cannot be overemphasized.
We congratulate Miss Retseck, principal of St. Matt’s, for her audacity to lead by faith into unchartered waters simply because she knew it was the right thing to do. We couldn’t be happier to have another school to add to our Inclusive Catholic Schools list on this very website. Together we’re better, we have no doubt.
http://catholicexchange.com/catholic-schools-syndrome-hospitality
