Mission Impossible? Not with God!

Whoever has ears ought to hear.  Mt. 13

Today's Gospel is an echo of Isaiah.  The prophet compares rain and snow coming down to do its job:  watering the earth, making it fruitful, giving seeds to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats to God's word which will do its will, achieving the end for which he sent it.

All the illusions in scripture about storms, terrible winds, earthquakes, fire and brimstone are accompanied first by fear and then by God's calming presence with his constant message:  Be Not Afraid!  Well we certainly are in a storm the likes none of us have ever seen before.  Fear is rampant.  Hope is scarce. Giving up is a strong temptation.  Today's Gospel, the Parable of the Sower, is really an allegory.  I do not pretend to know where that rich soil is for the word of God to land, but I believe it exists!

Response to a VUCA World!

Our mission to educate children is unchanged.  The why and what will not change, but it is the how that is unclear right now.  This week's change in the AAP's advice simply shows how fluid all of this is.  Who's to really say where we will be 8 weeks from now?  It is indeed a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguious) World.  Partnership's hallmarks are:  Guided by faith and values; Grounded in rigorous content, Supported by quality professional development, and Animated by a clear vision.

Educators are surely essential workers, yet how will we protect them?  Students are gifts of God's love, how will we care for them?  Whatever those answers are I know that we will need to be nimble and quick in our responses. We will need to turn on a dime and yet keep acheiving the end for which we were sent!

Partnership Schools included in national dialogue

Students at St. Charles Borromeo, a Partnership School in Harlem

As Cleveland begins to launch the first replication of Partnership Schools (originally only in New York City), the benefits of being a member of an established network were seen this past week.  The Cristo Rey Network in its national internal weekly memo mentioned Partnership Schools and its expansion to Cleveland.  The National Catholic Register praised Partnership Schools as an example of a priviate school management organization: 

 Private School Pioneers,” a 2015 report (Andy) Smarick co-wrote for the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, called Private School Management Organizations “among the most interesting and exciting innovations related to the supply of private-school seats — and potentially one of the most important recent developments in urban K-12 education.

We were also featured in a recent Philanthropy Roundtable e-magazine.  The lead paragraph says much:

While more than 50 Catholic schools have been forced to close their doors in the last few months, in part because of the coronavirus, two in Cleveland are poised to prosper under new management. Partnership Schools, a network of seven inner-city NYC schools that are connected to the local Catholic diocese but privately run, is expanding to the Midwest. 

 The recent news this week from New York City Archdiocese is indeed a chilling reminder of the crisis we are in.

We benefit greatly from the thought leadership and several years of practical experience in the arena.  Of course, the involvement of two schools from Cleveland adds to this experience and brings a new perspective to the whole organization.  Right now, we are the much younger sibling and benefit from the wisdom of our elders!  The old adage of "Out of the mouths of babes..." might come into play from time to time.

How we doin'?

To quote the former mayor of New York, Ed Koch, I am happy to say the two newest schools in the Partnership network are really working hard to get ready for this coming school year.  Archbishop Lyke and St. Thomas Aquinas.  Enrollment in the two schools has risen 6% over last year.  The Cleveland Scholarship Program is opening a second window this coming week.  I visited both schools this week and was so happy to see what I saw! 

At Archbishop Lyke I walked in while Jackie was reenrolling a family.  We chatted after and she led me through the history of the school.  An excellent summary is available on the website, just click here.  When I arrived at St. Thomas Aquinas, Rachael Stenger was on a Zoom call with 9 other teachers participating in professional development on the new language arts curriculum (CKLA).  Rachael could not speak highly enough of the currriculum and the accompanying professional develop.  

Meanwhile through the leadership of Dominic Ozanne of Ozanne Contruction, our vigorous "sprucing up campaign" is beginning to take shape.  We have plans for painting, updating doors, offices, entrance ways, bathrooms, boilers, and on and on!  Walkthroughs and bids are happening!  This just might rival a HGTV special!

What can you do?

We need to spread the word!  I am reaching out to you to introduce me to people you think would be exicited about this kind of news!l  Last week I had two meeting in the Rocky River Reservation, outside and we each brought our own coffee! 

Smoky the WWII dog hero

If we meet at Stinchcomb Memorial you can visit the statue honoring Smoky, World War II's smallest hero who: ...crawled through a tiny 70-foot-long culvert on a captured Japanese island, hauling a communication cable, sparing GIs from having to drag it above ground and be exposed to enemy sniper fire."  We met early in the morning to beat the heat and outside, socially distant, seems to be the ticket!  Of course email, calling, Zooming or however you would like to meet would be great.  I can answer your questions and you can talk about your contacts and how you might introduce me!  Email is richard.clark@partnershipcle.org.