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Cathedral students, staff making the best of their situation

Date: 10/4/2011

Oct. 3, 2011

By Chris Maza

Reminder Assistant Editor

WILBRAHAM — Sitting in his office in the Memorial School building that serves as the temporary home of Cathedral High School, John Miller, principal, recalled a statement one teacher made that he said wraps up the entire school community’s feelings on the new surroundings.

“She said, ‘It’s not quite Cathedral, but we’ll make it work,’” he said.

Making it work is exactly what the administration and faculty have been able to do thus far as they adapt to their new surroundings on Main Street. While the need for change was unexpected and unwelcome, the school community has come together to make Memorial School a home away from home.

One of the bulletin boards reads, “Welcome to the Cathedral Community.” A large banner across the entrance to the gym declares, “We are Cathedral.”

The school’s theme for this year, according to Campus Minister Joseph Leone, is “let there be light.”

“It’s is basically taken from the first thing God said in the Bible, which marks a new beginning for the world and this marks a new beginning for the school,” he explained.

The school’s staff has worked hard to maintain that Cathedral High School is more than a building, but a community that is united. Region Department Head Michael Dewey said that because the Catholic faith is at the core of the school’s spirit, it has been able to remain strong.

“Religion is something you can take on the road, like the early apostles did. The Gospel is going with us wherever we end up,” he said. “It’s been a transition and I think it has been hard on some people, but we’re going to be fine as long as we’re flexible and trust in God.”

Still, in addition to spirit, the school needed a building in which to house its students and much work had to be done.

“We could get in here on Aug. 15 and the opening day was Aug. 29. The superintendent suggested to us that we hold off a week. But we got it done on time,” Miller said. “The faculty response was overwhelming. It’s because they believe in this school.”

Improvements to the school included building walls to turn certain classrooms from one room into two separate rooms, to accommodate Cathedral’s needs and adding new ceilings. Teachers also had a very short amount of time to get their classrooms in working order. The school’s computers were moved to the new building and the entire school is now wired.

“I think it’s gone much better than expected, especially seeing as they only had two weeks’ notice to put this all together,” Patrick Garrity, vice-chair of the Board of Trustees, said.

The administration brought in each class in a staggered fashion the first week in order to help them get acclimated to the new surroundings before bringing the entire school population in for the first day of classes.

“I think bringing in all the classes separately helped and made the bonds with classmates stronger,” senior Nora Garrity of Springfield said. “Then when we all came in the next week together, it really helped enforce the school spirit.”

Concerns about traffic and parking have proven to be overstated, according to Miller.

“There have been no problems with transportation,” he said. “Parents have been very understanding and have had no problems dropping their kids off and the Springfield bus service has been superb.”

He added that the school’s parking lot always has open spaces, even with all of the students’ cars.

Space is tight in the building, but most preferred to call it “cozy.” While some teachers even have to share classroom space, none have felt they have been unable to provide high quality education because of it.

In fact, many teachers, as well as students, said they have enjoyed being closer to the rest of the school.

“It brought us closer. We were spread out all over the place in the old building. Now the Science Department feels like it is part of the school,” Marita Mariani, Science Department head, said, adding the breezeway that separated the school’s science wing from the rest of the school was referred to as “the moat.”

Social Studies teacher Diane Trela concurred, adding she wouldn’t mind seeing the future permanent home of Cathedral be a one-story building.

“I like the one floor idea,” she said. “We used to be separated in our own wings, but I’m really enjoying being able to see more of the school on a regular basis.”

Senior Mark Hegarty said the smaller space has taken some getting used to for students, but added that in the long run, he believes it could help the student body.

“It’s definitely different, but we’re making it work,” he said. “It’s a smaller building physically, but I think it’s also helped make us closer as a school.”

Leone added having teachers from different departments in closer proximity to each other can help teachers communicate more effectively and even learn new techniques that have worked for others.

“It’s a great way to see other teachers and to see the different pedagogies and to see the life of the school in general,” he said.

President Ann Southworth said the biggest obstacle the administration has faced is the fact that the advancement department is not yet on-site.

“One of the biggest challenges is having the advancement office seven miles away,” she said. “We’ve got to be able to be accessible to each other for planning and meeting. They will be moving over in November.”

In spite of everything, there have been very few hang-ups in terms of the school’s long-term plans.

“We are still implementing the initiatives we planned to before the tornado struck,” she said. “We have a team of teachers working on applying for the international baccalaureate and we are working to create the after school program. Things are happening slower than usual, but it’s happening.”



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