James Sellinger, Chancellor of Education for the Archdiocese of Baltimore and Dr. Donna Hargens, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, announced May 20 the 2020 Archdiocesan and Independent Catholic School Teachers of the Year.

Karin Abbott from Monsignor Slade Catholic School in Glen Burnie was named Archdiocesan Elementary School Teacher of the Year and Catherine Hellie from Archbishop Spalding High School in Severn was named Archdiocesan High School Teacher of the Year.

Chris Taddiken from Calvert Hall College High School in Towson was named Independent Catholic High School Teacher of the Year.

The Teacher of the Year recipients were selected by the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Teacher of the Year Committee, which included Department of Catholic Schools staff and representatives from the Archdiocesan School Board, according to a May 20 news release.

The committee selected Abbott and Hellie from a pool of 44 archdiocesan elementary and high school Teacher of the Year nominees, all of whom were the recipients of their school’s 2020 Teacher of the Year award. Taddiken was selected out of the Archdiocese of Baltimore independent Catholic high school nominations. The decision was based on each nominee’s demonstration of Catholic identity, innovative instruction, professionalism and leadership.

Hargens and Sellinger made the surprise announcement to the Teacher of the Year winners and their colleagues during virtual staff meetings early May 20. Following the announcement, each winner received a socially distant, in-person congratulations from Dr. Hargens.

“Mrs. Abbott, Mrs. Hellie, and Mr. Taddiken are outstanding educators, whose dedication is evident,” Hargens said in the news release. “They inspire a love of learning and work diligently every day to help their students grow academically and spiritually.”

About the 2020 Teacher of the Year Winners

· Archdiocesan Elementary School Teacher of the Year: Karin Abbott holds a master’s degree from Towson University in arts integration and has 17 years of teaching experience. She currently teaches preschool through 8th grade music at Monsignor Slade Catholic School and serves as the director of the school play.

· Archdiocesan High School Teacher of the Year: Catherine Hellie is a world language teacher at Archbishop Spalding High School. She has 19 years of teaching experience and has served as the foreign language department chair for more than 14 years. She holds a master’s degree in education.

· Independent Catholic High School Teacher of the Year: Chris Taddiken is a mathematics teacher at Calvert Hall College High School. He has seven years teaching experience and recently completed his M.A.T. degree and attended the AP Calculus Institute.

The Department of Catholic Schools will honor the Archdiocesan Teacher of the Year winners, along with the Teacher of the Year winners from each Catholic school in the Archdiocese at a later date.

Hours after administrators announced that the Institute of Notre Dame would be closing next month, a small group of seniors gathered May 5 on the steps outside the historic East Baltimore girls high school feeling lost.

Alumna Nancy Longo, who graduated in 1980 and went on to become an award-winning chef and restaurant owner, joined them. And although she was crushed by the decision, she had words of hope for the young women whose senior year has already been derailed by the coronavirus pandemic.

“I said, well, ‘I can tell you something. We feel really kind of lost for you,’” Longo said of her fellow alumni. “But you don’t need a building to be a part of the IND community.”

She and other alumnae said their time at IND led to lifelong friendships and incredible bonds of sisterhood. It’s something Longo has seen in action during the past few months of the pandemic. She owns Pierpoint Restaurant in Fells Point and said she and her staff have stayed afloat because of the generosity of her fellow IND alumnae.

Since her restaurant has been closed, she shifted to feeding medical workers and the homeless.

“Because of the IND community, I’m able to sit here and continue to survive in restaurant business, which is very tough right now,” Longo said. “It is the amazing spirit that has gone through that school and a lot of women who have gone there believe in the power of generosity, especially in endeavors in the urban community.”

The School Sisters of Notre Dame, who own and operate the school, declined to comment for this article. Caelie M. Haines, the communications director for the religious community, said officials would host online question-and-answer sessions for current students and alumnae about the closure later this week.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore does not have authority over the governance of IND and was informed of its closing shortly before the public announcement. The Archdiocese of Baltimore Department of Catholic Schools said it would work closely with the IND administration and would provide assistance with placement of IND students into other Catholic high schools.

In a statement, the school, which began educating girls in 1847, cited the economic downturn, declining enrollment and its aging school building as reasons behind the closing.

Nevertheless, the news took many alumnae, including Dee Walsh, a member of the class of 1965, by surprise.

“It came as a shock. I knew attendance was low there because I’ve been involved with things,” Walsh said, choking back tears. “I had so many phone calls, texts and emails. And I said to people, ‘I just never thought it would happen in my lifetime.’ I knew it would happen, but not in my lifetime.”

Walsh, a longtime member of the alumnae association, said her connection with IND goes back generations. Her grandmother boarded there at the turn of the 20th century and her mother and aunt graduated from the school in 1942.

Walsh, a parishioner of St. Mark in Catonsville, said her years at IND inspired her to become a lifelong teacher, spending most of her career with Howard County Public Schools.

“We had such a great education from the nuns, and to follow in some of their footsteps was what you wanted to do,” Walsh said.

Walsh, who worked on the school’s newspaper, said IND students were actively involved in the surrounding community, helping residents of the nearby Latrobe Homes, a low-income development, among other charitable activities.

The school was also known for its basketball team, which had an intense rivalry with fellow girls catholic school, Mercy High School. Each year, thousands would turn out for the “Big Game,” a tradition since 1967.

This January, the IND Penguins won their seventh straight against the Mercy Magic.

“It is hard to imagine that enthusiastic crowds will no longer pack the SECU Arena to watch Mercy and IND meet on the court for the Big Game,” said Mary Beth Lennon, president of Mercy High School. “I know that our Mercy alumnae will feel, as I do, a special sadness around the loss of sisterhood between our two great rival schools.”

Longo echoed Walsh, saying IND – often called “the Hidden Gem of Baltimore” – was a special place for women young and unlike any other school.

“I felt like I had a unique education from a very loving faculty. Nuns who deeply cared about you. And some of them I stayed friends with for the rest of my life. And I felt that the school did, in essence because of its urban location, continue the mission …  to take care of women, take care of the community, and to teach women to be leaders and to be great in the community,” Longo said. “So now there’s no one in the city to fill that void anymore.”

IND is known nationally for inspiring women to become leaders.

The all-girls school counts among its alumnae two of the most powerful female office-holders in the history of the United States: two-time Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and former Maryland Representative and Senator Barbara Mikulski, the longest-serving woman in the history of the U.S. Congress.

Writing on Twitter, Pelosi called the closure “sad news” and said her family has been a part of the school community for years.

“Its creed – Pro Deo et Patria – is enshrined in our hearts,” Pelosi wrote, referring to the Latin phrase that means “For God and country.”

Mikulski said in a statement that when she learned of the closing, a “profound sadness” came over her.

“Baltimore is truly losing a treasured institution,” she said.

IND continues to inspire a new wave of female leaders. Nicole Harris-Crest, a graduate of the class of 2003, is currently running for City Council in District 4, which represents a portion of North Baltimore.

Harris-Crest, the daughter of former city councilman Kenneth Harris, said she chose to attend IND despite living in walking distance of Mercy High School. She said her time at IND had given her “a roadmap” to becoming a leader by emphasizing empathy and kindness.

She said she even joked about becoming a member of Congress in her IND yearbook.

“The school really instilled a value that you can do anything,” said Harris-Crest, who is chief of external affairs to the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City. “And you have all of these wonderful examples of people who’ve made these achievements. And then you also have this guidance and support from the community that helps you to achieve whatever your goals are.”

Longo said of the faculty at IND, “It’s an unbelievable group of women who have gone through the walls of that place. … They were very much interested in teaching girls to be smart enough to make decisions and be community leaders.”

While no decision has been made about the school building, Longo and Walsh worried about the fate of the historic campus. Walsh recounted the smallest details of the school – a slate staircase to be used only by seniors, hand-carved wood on the fifth floor and an embroidered message at the front entrance that reads, “School is not a playground. It is not a prison. It is time. It is opportunity.”

“There was something about that place that I find amazing. It’s a very, very spiritual feeling when you’re in that building, when you go upstairs and you can see the places where women 180 years ago were,” Longo said. “For that piece of history to be lost now, it’s a big blow to Baltimore City.”

The alumnae hope the building’s rich history can remain even after the school’s closing.

“The building belongs to the sisters. So, you know, it’s their decision. But please don’t tear it down. Don’t make it a parking lot. Please don’t tear it down,” Walsh said.

Email Tim Swift at tswift@catholicreview.org

Also see:

IND, oldest girls’ prep school in Maryland, closing its doors for good

Copyright ©2020 Catholic Review Media.

The Institute of Notre Dame, which has educated girls in Baltimore since 1847, announced May 5 that it was closing its doors for good.

The oldest all-girls preparatory school in Maryland, the grades 9-12 institution  was founded and sponsored by the School Sisters of Notre Dame, and served as the order’s flagship school in the United States.

School Sister of Notre Dame Charmaine Krohe, provincial leader, and School Sister of Notre Dame Patricia Murphy, chairwoman of the IND Board of Trustees and a member of the class of 1962, cited declining enrollment, the economy and an aging school building in announcing that the school would close, effective June 30, in a letter addressed to members of the IND community.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore does not have authority over the governance of the school, and was not involved in the decision to close the school, according to a spokesman for the archdiocese.

IND staff were informed of the decision at 3 p.m., during a Zoom online meeting.

Archbishop William E. Lori was informed of the school’s decision shortly before it was announced to the school community.

“It is with great sadness that we write to you today to announce that this school year will be our last,” Sister Charmaine and Sister Patricia wrote. “Our beloved Institute of Notre Dame (IND) will close on June 30.

“We had hoped to have a different outcome and have been trying valiantly the last several years to build a sustainable future,” their letter continued. “Several factors have contributed to our very recent decision: our enrollment continues to decline and is down 43 percent from five years ago; some of our major supporters have advised us they will no longer be able to provide us with financial contributions; and we currently discount our tuition almost 30 percent, through financial aid to our students with 90 percent of our student body receiving some assistance.

“Additionally,” Sister Charmaine and Sister Patricia wrote, “our building requires $5 million of repairs, just to allow us to continue to use it. It would require $34 million to make it a state-of-the-art facility. Identifying and moving to another campus would take time and significant resources. And now, COVID-19 has caused significant, added financial hardship.

“Taking all of this into account, to remain open we would need to raise many millions of dollars, immediately. And we would need to substantially increase our fundraising goals each year going forward or significantly increase the tuition, or a combination,” wrote Sister Charmaine and Sister Patricia, who noted the generosity of the Sisters of Notre Dame over the last several years. “The Atlantic-Midwest Province has contributed several million dollars to try to keep our school in operation – it has recently become clear that there is no way forward – in spite of the tireless efforts of the Sisters, the Board of Trustees and the school’s leadership team.”

Christine Szala was the head of school at IND.

Tuition for the 2019-20 school year was $14,700. As recently as last September, IND announced a $2 million gift toward scholarships from Catherine Bunting, a prominent Baltimore philanthropist.

The all-girls school counts among its alumnae two of the most powerful female office-holders in the history of the United States: two-time Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and former Maryland Representative and Senator Barbara Mikulski, the longest-serving woman in the history of the U.S. Congress.

It marks the second closure in three years of a Catholic girls’ high school inside the Baltimore Beltway.  The Seton Keough High School, which formed in a 1988 merger of Seton High School and Archbishop Keough High School, closed in 2017.

The area in and around the Beltway still has five girls’ high schools (The Catholic High School of Baltimore, Maryvale Preparatory School, Mercy High School, Mount de Sales Academy and Notre Dame Preparatory), compared to four for boys: (Archbishop Curley High School, Calvert Hall College High School, Loyola Blakefield and Mount St. Joseph High School).

Other Catholic schools in the region have faced similar decisions this spring. Citing “declines in student enrollment and local fundraising,” the Diocese of Camden, N.J., announced in April the closure at the end of the school year of five schools, including St. Joseph High School in Hammonton and Wildwood Catholic High School. The Diocese of Harrisburg, Pa., which has filed for bankruptcy, recently announced the closure of two of its schools, including Lebanon Catholic High.

All Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore have been closed to students and teachers since mid-March, due to the coronavirus.

“We recognize that this news brings with it many emotions in what has already been a very emotional year,” Sister Charmaine and Sister Patricia wrote. “We deeply regret that we cannot be together physically, to comfort and support each other. Hopefully, at a future date, we will be able to hold a closing ceremony, to allow all of us to come together as a community, to mourn, to celebrate and to remember all that IND has meant to us.”

Email Paul McMullen at pmcmullen@CatholicReview.org 

Read more: Alumnae mourn the loss of Institute of Notre Dame, the ‘hidden gem of Baltimore’

Editor’s Note: This story was updated May 5 at 10:15 p.m. to clarify when The Seton Keough High School was formed.

Even in trying times, the 19 high schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore continue their tradition of academic excellence, as evidenced in these four young people who would have been recognized April 23 at the Distinctive Scholars Convocation, an annual event of the Department of Catholic Schools.

Henry Hardart

Archbishop Spalding, Severn

Hardart spent portions of the last two summers volunteering in a research lab at Johns Hopkins Hospital, studying the benefits of a common chemical on infants suffering from abnormal brain flow. Mid-February found him at a medical conference in the ­Bahamas, where he helped present the Hopkins team’s findings in a paper titled “Oleuropein Protects White Matter After Neonatal Hypoxic Brain Injury and Hypothermia.”

How did he find his way to neuroscience?

“I had a lot of different interests in middle school,” said Hardart, whose family worships at St. Mary and St. John Neumann in Annapolis.

His college decision – Massachusetts Institute of Technology over Yale – was delayed, along with his running career. In 2019 he set school records with times of 4 minutes, 18.08 seconds and 1:55.75 in the 1,600 and 800 meters, respectively.

“We’ve got a pretty strong running community online,” Hardart said. “After New Balance (the indoor prep nationals) was canceled, people lost a week gathering themselves. Then the runner’s mentality kicked in and we said, ‘let’s start training for cross country.’ ”

Diamond Jones

Cristo Rey Jesuit, Baltimore 

With the pandemic suspending the corporate internship program at Cristo Rey Jesuit, Jones’ final day at Hunt Investment Management was March 10. She also had to cancel the fashion show she was planning to highlight CRJ’s “People of Power and Purpose” Club.

Jones has been vice president of the National Honor Society, a peer minister, math tutor and was manager of the school’s Step Team.

“I tried to get my hands into every single thing I could (at Cristo Rey), to my parents’ (Edward and Paulette) dismay,” said Jones, who chatted up classmates after the May 30 prom was canceled. “Everyone was a little devastated about that. We’re talking. Should we do something over the summer?”

She hopes to enroll at Loyola University Maryland, one of the seven colleges that have sent acceptances, and go into education. Jones’ track record as a middle-school tutor has her more in demand than ever.

“We do FaceTime, and they always have my phone number,” Jones said. “The kids who got study packets aren’t afraid to call me.”

Chandler Pagnotta

St. Maria Goretti, Hagerstown

It wasn’t the coronavirus that put Pagnotta’s auto racing on hold. A March 14 wreck at Lincoln Speedway in Abbotstown, Pa. – in which the rear of his Legends Series car (5/8-scale replicas of bodies from the 1930s and ’40s) was clipped, sent it airborne and left him with a concussion – was to blame.

“It stinks,” Pagnotta said. “But once we get through this (the pandemic), I’ll be back out there.”

Pagnotta, who raced go-karts around the yard at age 8, caught the bug from his father, Fran, a senior engineer for Volvo. He will study mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. Ironically, Pagnotta took the bus to St. Maria Goretti from his home in Chambersburg, Pa., where he attended Corpus Christi Catholic School and remains active in its Vacation Bible School.

At Goretti, he’s a member of the National Honor Society and Habitat for Humanity.

“We’ll get back out there sometime soon,” he said.

Katie Yurechko

John Carroll, Bel Air

Yurechko has eclectic interests, as she is considering majoring in chemistry or philosophy at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., while minoring in poverty studies.

“That’s always relevant, but now more than ever,” Yurechko said.

The captain of John Carroll’s Speech and Debate team can make her case on an array of subjects. That pursuit gained Yurechko berths in spring competitions in Kentucky and New Mexico, the first of which was held online.

Her empathy is grounded in her home and at St. Joan of Arc in Aberdeen. She began her education at its parish school, and continues to serve its Good Samaritan Food Pantry.

At John Carroll, Yurechko founded the “Friends Are Family” Club, which promotes mental health awareness. Her senior capstone project promoted mental health. The pandemic, she said, “is going to draw more attention to coping skills that we hadn’t thought of before.”

Her own include playing the piano, writing award-winning poetry and weightlifting, a pursuit that has seen the petite Yurechko squat 135 pounds.

The 2019-20 Distinctive Scholars

Archbishop Curley High School, Baltimore: Scott Giampa, Hunter Luers, Yazan Sawalhi

Archbishop Spalding High School, Severn: Kyra Farley, Henry Hardart, Brandon Shin

Bishop Walsh School, Cumberland: Cara Bako, Olivia Cooper, Patrick Strite

Calvert Hall College High School, Towson: Cole Johnson, Owen Koster, Casimir Pozecki

The Catholic High School of Baltimore: Julie Asbury, Natalie Field, Olivia Russell

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Baltimore: Estefania Garcia Torres, Diamond Jones, Jaida Wilson

St. Frances Academy, Baltimore: Rajah Golden, Mya McPherson, Kehmanei Todman

Institute of Notre Dame, Baltimore: Tatiana Christopher, Mickella Harris, Molly Kihn

The John Carroll School, Bel Air: Alexis Loder, Helen Lortie, Kathryn Yurechko

St. John’s Catholic Prep, Buckeystown: Katherine Goundry, Bridget Scherer, Chase Shapiro

Loyola Blakefield, Towson: Christopher Doyle, Bryan Rose, Emmanuel Spanos

St. Maria Goretti High School, Hagerstown: Lauren Lindsey, Bridget Nooney, Chandler Pagnotta

St. Mary’s High School, Annapolis: Luke Bonfiglio, Eden Fales, Mia Haschert

Maryvale Preparatory School, Lutherville: Karenna Aparece, Lyssa Kagel, Abigail Miller

Mercy High School, Baltimore: Olivia Goodwin, Elena Schutz, Heather Shanty

Mount de Sales Academy, Catonsville: Julie Claycomb, Julianna Mannarelli, Grace Wallace

Mount St. Joseph High School, Baltimore: James DeMaria, Robin Paranilam, Christian Woo

Notre Dame Preparatory School, Towson: Catherine Kinkopf, Julia Marine, Margaret Sullivan

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Essex: Kami Ciccanti, Taylor Mazan, Rachel Potter

In recognition of his dedication, support and commitment to excellence in Catholic education, Lawrence Callahan, president of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Essex, was awarded the 2020 “Lead, Learn, Proclaim” award from the National Catholic Educational Association.

Callahan was selected from more than 150,000 teachers and administrators, as well as diocesan leaders and organizations dedicated to the nation’s Catholic schools, according to a news release from the NCEA.

According to the NCEA, the award honors those Catholic educators who have demonstrated a strong Catholic educational philosophy as well as exceptional efforts, devotion and achievements.

“Just as the Catholic Church is the people and not the buildings, so are Catholic schools not just buildings, but communities of educators and students bound by faith,” said Kathy Mears, NCEA Interim President/CEO. “The LLP Award is to recognize those individuals and organizations whose dedication, faith, knowledge and skills fulfill the mission of Catholic education.”

Callahan has served as president of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which educates children in pre-school through high school, since 2016. Last year, he was recognized by the Archdiocese of Baltimore with the Doris Musil Award, the highest honor presented to educators in the archdiocese. At that time, Archbishop William E. Lori credited Callahan with getting the school “operating on all cylinders,” stabilizing enrollment and strengthening its financial position.

Callahan previously served as superintendent of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Washington for 10 years and superintendent of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore for 13 years. In Baltimore, Callahan also worked as Director of Secondary Education (9 years) and Director of Physical Education (6 years). Before being tapped by Archbishop Lori to serve as president of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Callahan was a member of Mount Carmel’s school board.

“Working side by side with colleagues committed to the Catholic faith and to the education and success of young people has been the most rewarding part of my career in Catholic education,” Callahan said in a written statement.

Callahan, a parish corporator at St. Agnes in Catonsville and St. William of York in Baltimore, holds degrees from the University of the District of Columbia and the University of Maryland, with additional graduate studies at Loyola University Maryland, where he served as an adjunct professor.

He is a founder and managing partner at Education Strategies, Inc., a consulting firm that focuses on strategic planning, leadership and board development, school marketing and administrator search and selection.

Callahan has served on myriad boards and advisory committees both inside and outside of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. These include the National Association of Boards of Education Committee (6 years), the Board of Trustees for the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (3 years), the NCEA Department of Boards and Councils, the Chief Administrators of Catholic Education Executive Committee (6 years), the Maryland Governor’s Executive Advisory Council (4 years), the Maryland Catholic Conference Education Committee (11 years) and the State of Maryland Physical Fitness Commission (6 years). He has also been a site visitor for the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program (5 years).

Callahan and his wife, Gail, have five children and 13 grandchildren.

The 2020 NCEA Convention and Expo, which was scheduled to take place in Baltimore this month, was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While the coronavirus pandemic has proven challenging for schools and parents in educating children, it is also a chance for Catholic schools to confront those challenges with courage, said the Congregation for Catholic Education.

“This crisis can become an opportunity for Catholic educational institutions across the world to strengthen their testimony to their identity and mission as a community of faith and charity,” the congregation said in a statement released April 8.

In its statement, the congregation said the spread of the pandemic and the tragedy of those who are sick or dead from COVID-19 “is a time we were not prepared for” that has “overshadowed many of our certainties.”

The abruptness of the pandemic, it added, did not allow time for schools to adopt “distance learning” methods.

Parents also “find themselves constrained to adapting to the need to assist their children studying at home,” the congregation said. “Not all of them are equipped with the corresponding information technology tools, nor are they prepared to deal with the continuous presence of their children at home.”

Nevertheless, Catholic schools “are called to respond to the most immediate exigencies” to ensure a regular conclusion to the academic year and “organize for the future to be able to discern any opportunities which this crisis could offer us.”

“This pandemic has highlighted the fragility and the wounds of society: the poor, the homeless, the elderly, the prisoners, the social imbalances, as well as individual and national selfishness,” the statement said.

Amid the interruption of ordinary life, all men and women have a duty “to consider more deeply the meaning of life, to finding ways to begin again to live once more, beginning from new foundations, knowing well it will never be the same as before.”

Nevertheless, the Lenten season and the upcoming celebration of Easter serves of a reminder that life overcomes death, which “allows us to look to the future with confidence and solid hope.”

The Congregation for Catholic Education said the celebration of Easter gives meaning to the current crisis and is an encouragement to “open our hearts and minds to God and to our brethren with courage and determination, and to invest our talents in this present moment.”

“In the face of this crisis and in the spirit of Lent experienced this year in a truly exceptional way, for the believer there remains the light of the Easter resurrection. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ open up a perspective of life that will have no end and that allows us to look to the future with confidence and solid hope,” the congregation said.

James Sellinger, chancellor of education for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, announced March 25 that Catholic schools will be closed through April 24, extending a closure period that began March 16 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Sellinger’s announcement came after Gov. Larry Hogan and Maryland State School Superintendent Dr. Karen Saloman said Maryland public schools will extend their closures until April 24.

“We’re making decisions based on science and facts,” Hogan said. He also hinted that he prefers not to shut down schools for the remainder of the year.

Hugo Mattheiss, whose daughter is a seventh grader at Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Baynesville, said he thought closing the schools was “a good idea” even though he believes it may create hardships for some families.

“If we’re going to implement a quarantine, you don’t want kids gathering in a confined area,” he said. “It’s a good place for a germ breeding ground and you don’t want them to bring it home to parents and grandparents.”

Many Catholic schools have been using remote learning while their students are home.

In the Archdiocese of Baltimore, a school calendar consists of 178 days of instruction. There are 170 days required by the State of Maryland. Because of the unique mission of Catholic schools, the Archdiocese of Baltimore requires five additional student days.

Maryland currently has 423 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus, five of which are under the age of 18. Over the past 24-hours, Maryland has seen 74 new cases of the virus, the highest one-day total to date. Four deaths have also been reported.

According to the Archdiocese of Baltimore website, there are some 25,000 students enrolled in 45 elementary and middle schools and 19 high schools in Baltimore City, Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Harford, Howard and Washington Counties.

For more information about the archdiocesan response to the coronavirus pandemic, click here. 

Also see:

Catholic school learning continues at home

Students across the Archdiocese of Baltimore are adjusting to at-home learning. All public schools in Maryland are closed, following an order by Gov. Larry Hogan. Archbishop William E. Lori instructed all archdiocesan schools to similarly close their campuses and suspend school activities.

At the School of the Incarnation in Gambrills, lessons have been move to the online homework platform, SOTI Studies. Similar programs for out-of-school instruction have been created at Baltimore’s other Catholic schools, supported by the Department of Catholic Schools.

“We developed two weeks of instructional resources for all schools, for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in English-language arts and math,” said Eric Watts, director of Instruction and Student Achievement for the archdiocese. “Additional science, social studies and religion resources have been provided based on need to schools. We provided online learning resources to all high schools.”

Watts said a team of eight content experts are generating resources and working with teachers.

Most students can access assignments through online platforms, but schools sent home printed materials for students who don’t have internet access, according to School of the Incarnation content expert Betsy Von Hagen.

Von Hagen worked with her colleagues at Incarnation and with Watts and his team to create instructional programs for each grade in less than a week. She is a pre-kindergarten teacher at Incarnation.

“There was a fast turnaround from when we realized we might need to move to at home learning, to we were doing at home learning,” she said. “It was a race.”

“As Catholic schools, while we’re focused on the instructional program and continuing to offer a world-class education to our families. We realize it’s not just all about math facts or reading, writing and arithmetic, it’s about the added aspect of being together in prayer,” said Incarnation principal Nancy Baker.

Baker called her staff and faculty’s work an “all-hands-on deck” moment. Teachers continued classroom instruction while creating lessons and activities to place on SOTI Studies. Parents were surveyed to learn about their internet and technology resources. The parishes connected to the school became local drop off points for materials.

“The whole faculty and staff team pulled together,” Baker said. “Teachers are teachers. They will rise to the occasion because that is what they do.”

Teachers are now preparing for the coming weeks. Some teachers using recorded videos and live video conferencing for instruction. Schools are preparing to get instructional packets to students who will continue to need those. Teachers are selecting instructional units that can be taught through the learning platforms. Many teachers are using social media pages to stay in touch with students, Baker said.

For some students, such as high school students who have had “cyber days” of at-home learning as part of their regular schedule, the transition to at home learning will be easier, Von Hagen said. For younger grades, parents and available family members will need to provide support.

“In these uncharted waters, it’s been really helpful to have the support from the Department of Catholic schools,” Baker said. “I think the Department of Catholic schools and our individual schools are making sure we’re connected and communicating. But at the same time, taking this situation day-by-day is so important because we don’t know how long this will last.”

Von Hagen said other teachers and content experts in the archdiocese are sharing resources and tips for providing at-home learning.

“We’re trying to provide whatever support we can to parents at home and to give kids whatever learning experiences we can from our own homes,” she said. “There are some fantastic teachers out there, and I am blown away by what teachers have done across the archdiocese.”

Baker said she wants parents to know that their children’s Catholic schools are there for them and are working to maintain community connections.

“We can do this together,” she said.

For more on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, click here. 

ELLICOTT CITY – Bolstered by the last two Players of the Year in the Baltimore Catholic League, St. Frances Academy is primed to take its third straight BCL tournament, an affair that concludes March 1 at Loyola University Maryland’s Reitz Arena.

Senior big man Jamal West was named the BCL Player of the Year Feb. 17, during an awards luncheon at Turf Valley Resort. Teammate Adrian “Ace” Baldwin won the award a year ago, when he went on to lead the Panthers to a comeback victory in overtime against St. Maria Goretti in the tournament championship game.

West, who came to St. Frances Academy as a transfer from Dunbar, is committed to South Alabama in the Sun Belt Conference. Baldwin is committed to Virginia Commonwealth.

Together, they lifted St. Frances Academy (33-3 overall, 13-1 in the BCL) to the  No. 1 seed, thanks to a 73-69 comeback victory Feb. 14 at home over Mount St. Joseph. The second-seeded Gaels (24-5, 12-2) placed Tyler Brelsford and Jason Edokpayi on the all-league first team.

As the regular season champion, St. Frances Academy has already earned a berth in the 60th annual Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament at Frostburg State, which has expanded its selection criteria beyond Catholic high schools.

Delaware State’s Eric Skeeters, who began his coaching career at St. Frances Academy, was the guest speaker at the banquet.

The all-league teams and tournament pairings follow.

2019-20 BALTIMORE CATHOLIC LEAGUE

All-League Teams 

First Team: Jamal West, St. Frances Academy, senior; Adrian Baldwin, St. Frances Academy, senior; Tyler Brelsford, Mount St. Joseph, senior; Jason Edokpayi, Mount St. Joseph, senior; Mitchell Fischer, Loyola Blakefield, senior; Cameron Whitmore, Archbishop Spalding, sophomore; Tyson Commander, John Carroll, sophomore

Second Team: Ausar Crawley, Mount St. Joseph, junior; Deon Perry, Mount Carmel, sophomore; Mike Williams, Calvert Hall, freshman; Matt Rogers, St. Maria Goretti, senior; Briggs McClain, St. Maria Goretti, senior; Jalen Bryant, John Carroll, junior

Honorable Mention: Julian Reese, St. Frances Academy, Khyrie Staten, St. Frances Academy; Cam Smith, Loyola Blakefield; Jordan Moore, Loyola Blakefield; Cesar Tchilombo, John Carroll; C. J. Scott, Archbishop Spalding; Tyheil Peterson, Archbishop Spalding; Sarmartine Bogues, Calvert Hall; Toby Nnadozie, Mount Carmel.

Jerry Savage Player of the Year: Jamal West, St. Frances Academy

Mark Amatucci Defensive Player of the Year: Julian Reese, St. Frances Academy

Cokey Roberston Most Improved Player: Jason Edokpayi, Mount St. Joseph

Ray Mullis Coach of the Year: Josh Pratt, Archbishop Spalding

Dave Kropfelder “Never, Never Quit” Awards

N’kobe Turner, Archbishop Spalding, Ryan Sand, Calvert Hall, Bryce Meads, John Carroll; Rece Gardner, Loyola Blakefield; Kobe Edwards, Mount Carmel; Cameron Sapienza, Mount St. Joseph; Elijah Davis, St. Frances Academy; Christian Longerbeam, St. Maria Goretti

49th annual BCL Tournament

Quarterfinals (seeds in parentheses)

Feb. 26

Calvert Hall (8) at St. Frances Academy (1), 7:00 p.m.

St. Maria Goretti (7) at Mount St. Joseph (2), 7 p.m.

Mount Carmel (6) at Archbishop Spalding (3), 7 p.m.

Loyola Blakefield (5) at John Carroll (4), 7 p.m.

Semifinals at Loyola University Maryland, 5 and 7 p.m.

Championship at Loyola University Maryland, 1 p.m.

An anonymous alumnus has donated $1 million to Calvert Hall College High School to create a scholarship endowment supporting students engaged in the arts, according to a Feb. 13 news release from the Towson school.

“Our benefactor is directly investing in the lives of our students,” said Christian Brother John Kane, Calvert Hall’s president. “This remarkable gift has given us the momentum to begin the quiet phase of a transformational campaign to support our core mission – providing a comprehensive education to a diverse student body. At Calvert Hall we believe in educating the whole person, and this includes far more than the academic subjects.”

Brother John said the gift “reinforces Calvert Hall’s strong commitment to the arts.”

Calvert Hall offers a comprehensive arts program. There are four instrumental ensembles including the four-time national marching band champions, four vocal music ensembles and a theatre program and visual arts.

Nichole Regulski, a Calvert Hall spokeswoman, told the Catholic Review that 250 students participate in the school’s arts program, representing approximately 20 percent of the student body.

In the release, Brian Ecton, director of instrumental music and fine arts, said “some of the area’s most talented students will benefit greatly from this generous gift.”

Joe Baker, a member of Calvert Hall’s Class of 1976 who serves as director of advancement,  added: “This magnificent commitment is from an alumnus who has experienced personally the significant impact of the arts on a student’s development.”

In addition to program support, Calvert Hall is seeking gifts for endowed faculty chairs, professional faculty and staff development, and the annual fund, according to the news release.

First in a series about married couples who met through the Catholic Church or one of its institutions.

Barry Levinson’s “Diner,” an essential Baltimore film and an homage to the end of the 1950s, includes Steve Guttenberg’s character requiring his fiancée to pass a “Colts Quiz.”

John D’Adamo referenced that test of a potential spouse to describe his first date with Melissa Martin. Instead of NFL trivia, let alone long walks on the beach or musical tastes, however, the two grilled one another about their shared Catholic faith.

That common ground led the two to be married Aug. 13, 2009 – less than two years after their eyes first met in the staff mail room at Archbishop Curley High School.

Now the principal of St. Francis of Assisi School in Mayfield, John was teaching at his alma mater. His students included Christopher Martin, now his brother-in-law.

Now the director of advancement for St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Melissa was back home after a stint on the lower Eastern Shore produced a master’s degree from Salisbury University but one dead-end date after another. A help-wanted ad in the Catholic Review sent her to Curley.

“It broke my heart to move back home, but I couldn’t find a good job, or a good man,” Melissa said. “I realized, ‘I’m only going to date Catholics.’

“My mother had literally been praying for me to come home and marry a nice East Baltimore Catholic boy. … How blessed we’ve been, to find each other, and raise our kids the way we were raised.”

Their union includes links to at least 15 institutions in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

“We can’t even abbreviate our schools on the kitchen calendar,” John said, as both work for an “SFA.”

Before graduating from Maryvale Preparatory School, Melissa went to a number of parish elementary schools, the last being Immaculate Heart of Mary in Baynesville. Her parents were married at St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Highlandtown, by Monsignor William F. Burke – now her husband’s boss at St. Francis of Assisi.

Before Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg and Curley, John was raised at St. Clement Mary Hofbauer Parish in Rosedale, where his father taught physical education for 36 years. His family tree includes his grandfather’s brother owning Shocket’s Bargain Store on Eastern Avenue.

“Of course, my parents grew up shopping there,” Melissa said.

John’s confirmation name is Luigi, honoring his great-grandfather, “the first D’Adamo in America,” he said, from Vasto, Italy. The vocation of John’s great “Aunt Zia,”  a Comboni Missionary Sister who served primarily in Ethiopia, is tied to the location of his wedding vows with Melissa.

The order continues to have a presence in Baltimore, including at St. Matthew in Northwood. Looking to “keep it small,” John and Melissa were married in its convent chapel, by Father Joseph Muth, pastor.

The D’Adamos worship at Our Lady of Grace in Parkton, and reside in a two-unit house. Their residence includes their daughters, Maxine and Clare, a first-grader and pre-K student, respectively, at St. Stephen School in Bradshaw. Melissa’s parents, who help fill the gaps in after-school care, live in the other unit.

“When you’re in Catholic education, you need all the support you can find,” John said, of the commitment of him and his wife. “We love the Catholic schools in Baltimore. We’re happy to give back to something that gave so much to us.”

Email Paul McMullen at pmcmullen@CatholicReview.org

Know of a Catholic couple that could be featured in the “It’s About Love” series? Send details to mail@CatholicReview.org