I agree that most of this information is good.
when it gets personal, use the PM feature, even if you want to argue.
quote:Originally posted by Coach Milburn:
It will be very interesting to see how this new Catholic school affects the Northern VA high schools area and current private schools.
This made the front page and back page of the Sports section today of The Washington Post.
[b]At John Paul the Great, An Uphill Climb to Start
Athletic Programs Face Unique Challenges in School's First Year
Coach,
My son attends JPTG and is planning on trying out for the Baseball Team. There have been several meetings with the Coach and it appears there will be plenty of kids trying out for the Team.
The school did well with their Fall sports, with Winter sports just beginning.
As mentioned in the WaPo article, the athletic facilities are nice, weight room, gyms, etc etc....
I am not sure how "good" the Baseball team will be, but, I'll certainly pass along relevant bits once the Season arrives.
hd
I look for JPTG to be a force in their athletic programs within 3-5yrs based on their geographic location and the affordable tuition which I am still in disbelief for a $60million dollar facility. I guess its the power of The Arlington Diocese, not sure why any private school would want to detach themselves from that supremacy, is beyond me.
I am sure the baseball program will be in good hands with Coach Dunleavy who went thru a quality high school program in Osbourn High School.
I am sure the baseball program will be in good hands with Coach Dunleavy who went thru a quality high school program in Osbourn High School.
quote:Originally posted by southpaw_dad:
Allow me to clarify, as the thread has gone a tad off course.
...If this is not an appropriate discussion for this forum, my apologies, and I stand corrected.
southpaw_dad,
I saw no grave error in this thread. I understand the dilemma you found yourself in. This seems like a good place to air it out. Thanks. I found it interesting reading.
I didn't understand Coach Milburn's posting of the story about Pope John Paul the Great Catholic High School here. That seems worthy of its own thread. Armor's inquiry about CM's connection to NDA was perhaps an attempt to connect the two.
CM's attempts to identify Armor should have stayed in PMs. Some of us like to remain annonymous. Often there are clues to a poster's identity in their posts. Unless it is revealed by the poster, let it go.
Notre Dame Academy's Catholic heritage in jeopardy
By Elizabeth Coe
Meeting:
Notre Dame Academy will host an information session for parents, faculty and students Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. in the school cafeteria. The meeting will include discussions about the school's history and its future, strategic planning efforts and school finances.
For information, call the school at 540-687-5581.
For more than 40 years, Notre Dame Academy in Middleburg has served as a private, independent Catholic high school for students in Loudoun County and the surrounding region.
Now, a recent decision by the school's board of trustees has shaken that deep-rooted foundation, leaving some parents and students shocked, and the school community with a sense of uncertainty.
“We want a Catholic school,” said Diane Beauchamp, whose son Thomas is a freshman. “There are other schools out there that are private that are better academically, but I want that Catholic factor. I want my children to be balanced, and our Catholic faith is what really lays that foundation.”
Parents became aware of the policy change in an Oct. 10 e-mail from the board that informed them of the school's decision to no longer comply with the Diocese of Arlington's Policy 910, which requires that Catholic schools have a Catholic headmaster. The change will go into effect July 1, 2009.
The school currently has an interim CEO and is searching for a permanent head of school.
The e-mail from board members stated that “any limiting criteria placed on the process has reduced our pool of potential candidates and has hindered our search.”
In response to the new policy adopted by the board, the Rev. Paul S. Loverde, bishop of Arlington, sent a letter of his own.
“Without compliance with these policies (particularly Policy 910), the Catholicity of the school and its curriculum cannot be ensured,” the letter said. “[Once the change goes into effect], the school will no longer have the Blessed Sacrament reserved in its chapel and the diocese will not be able to guarantee the quality or authenticity of religious or other instruction.”
George Conway, interim CEO of Notre Dame, said the board's decision was made to ensure that a qualified headmaster could be found and to protect the school's future.
“We will not call ourselves an independent Catholic school because the bishop doesn't want us to do that, but we do think there are ways to continue to offer Catholic religion courses,” he said. “We very much want to help people understand what we're trying to do, and we hope people can rally around Notre Dame and keep the school strong.”
Parent Lisa Sherman, who has two children who attend Notre Dame, said she supports the board's decision.
"I believe that the board has the best interest of the school at heart in terms of its longevity," said Sherman, who is not Catholic. "It's been difficult for them to raise money. I think they are valid in looking at a different model moving forward."
But Beauchamp and other parents who are concerned say they were not warned of the board's decision, and they are frustrated with both the lack of transparency and the direction the school is now headed.
Beauchamp already paid $18,000 in tuition for this school year but said she plans to pull her son out of Notre Dame next year.
Like Beauchamp, Muriel Forrest also plans to move her freshman son Mark after this school year.
"There are two wonderful things about Notre Dame that attracted us," she said. "It's a community, and the spiritual foundation upon which you build everything else. Now the community sense has been destroyed, along with the Catholic foundation."
Others who have been involved with the school throughout the years are also concerned.
Jim Wilson, a former board member whose children attended Notre Dame about 25 years ago, has filed a lawsuit against Notre Dame Academy and members of its board of trustees.
The suit alleges that Maggie Mangano, representing The Frank Mangano Foundation, used a large donation to ensure herself a seat on the board, along with her treasurer Michael S. Hoover. The suit further alleges that Mangano promised not to change the mission of the school, and then proceeded to convince board members to take the school in a non-Catholic direction. Mangano did not comment and deferred all questions to CEO Conway.
“In the loan agreement, she demanded seats on the board, which gave her control of the school, but the board felt it was an acceptable bargain on paper,” Wilson said. “The problem is you have no assurances that they're going to keep their promise. As soon as she got the school, she moved it from being Catholic.”
Wilson said those who disagreed with what was going on resigned or were voted off the board, as he was in early November.
Originally there were 20 board members. Now there are 12 and only one is Catholic, Wilson said. There used to be a requirement for half of the board members to be Catholics.
About half of the school's 251-student enrollment is non-Catholic, but Forrest said they are also affected by this decision.
“Whether or not you're Catholic, the school is unstable,” she said. “I'm convinced the school will not survive with the plan they're putting forward.”
Contact the reporter at ecoe@timespapers.com
Times Community © 2007 | Loudoun Times-Mirror
By Elizabeth Coe
Meeting:
Notre Dame Academy will host an information session for parents, faculty and students Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. in the school cafeteria. The meeting will include discussions about the school's history and its future, strategic planning efforts and school finances.
For information, call the school at 540-687-5581.
For more than 40 years, Notre Dame Academy in Middleburg has served as a private, independent Catholic high school for students in Loudoun County and the surrounding region.
Now, a recent decision by the school's board of trustees has shaken that deep-rooted foundation, leaving some parents and students shocked, and the school community with a sense of uncertainty.
“We want a Catholic school,” said Diane Beauchamp, whose son Thomas is a freshman. “There are other schools out there that are private that are better academically, but I want that Catholic factor. I want my children to be balanced, and our Catholic faith is what really lays that foundation.”
Parents became aware of the policy change in an Oct. 10 e-mail from the board that informed them of the school's decision to no longer comply with the Diocese of Arlington's Policy 910, which requires that Catholic schools have a Catholic headmaster. The change will go into effect July 1, 2009.
The school currently has an interim CEO and is searching for a permanent head of school.
The e-mail from board members stated that “any limiting criteria placed on the process has reduced our pool of potential candidates and has hindered our search.”
In response to the new policy adopted by the board, the Rev. Paul S. Loverde, bishop of Arlington, sent a letter of his own.
“Without compliance with these policies (particularly Policy 910), the Catholicity of the school and its curriculum cannot be ensured,” the letter said. “[Once the change goes into effect], the school will no longer have the Blessed Sacrament reserved in its chapel and the diocese will not be able to guarantee the quality or authenticity of religious or other instruction.”
George Conway, interim CEO of Notre Dame, said the board's decision was made to ensure that a qualified headmaster could be found and to protect the school's future.
“We will not call ourselves an independent Catholic school because the bishop doesn't want us to do that, but we do think there are ways to continue to offer Catholic religion courses,” he said. “We very much want to help people understand what we're trying to do, and we hope people can rally around Notre Dame and keep the school strong.”
Parent Lisa Sherman, who has two children who attend Notre Dame, said she supports the board's decision.
"I believe that the board has the best interest of the school at heart in terms of its longevity," said Sherman, who is not Catholic. "It's been difficult for them to raise money. I think they are valid in looking at a different model moving forward."
But Beauchamp and other parents who are concerned say they were not warned of the board's decision, and they are frustrated with both the lack of transparency and the direction the school is now headed.
Beauchamp already paid $18,000 in tuition for this school year but said she plans to pull her son out of Notre Dame next year.
Like Beauchamp, Muriel Forrest also plans to move her freshman son Mark after this school year.
"There are two wonderful things about Notre Dame that attracted us," she said. "It's a community, and the spiritual foundation upon which you build everything else. Now the community sense has been destroyed, along with the Catholic foundation."
Others who have been involved with the school throughout the years are also concerned.
Jim Wilson, a former board member whose children attended Notre Dame about 25 years ago, has filed a lawsuit against Notre Dame Academy and members of its board of trustees.
The suit alleges that Maggie Mangano, representing The Frank Mangano Foundation, used a large donation to ensure herself a seat on the board, along with her treasurer Michael S. Hoover. The suit further alleges that Mangano promised not to change the mission of the school, and then proceeded to convince board members to take the school in a non-Catholic direction. Mangano did not comment and deferred all questions to CEO Conway.
“In the loan agreement, she demanded seats on the board, which gave her control of the school, but the board felt it was an acceptable bargain on paper,” Wilson said. “The problem is you have no assurances that they're going to keep their promise. As soon as she got the school, she moved it from being Catholic.”
Wilson said those who disagreed with what was going on resigned or were voted off the board, as he was in early November.
Originally there were 20 board members. Now there are 12 and only one is Catholic, Wilson said. There used to be a requirement for half of the board members to be Catholics.
About half of the school's 251-student enrollment is non-Catholic, but Forrest said they are also affected by this decision.
“Whether or not you're Catholic, the school is unstable,” she said. “I'm convinced the school will not survive with the plan they're putting forward.”
Contact the reporter at ecoe@timespapers.com
Times Community © 2007 | Loudoun Times-Mirror
What's the old saying,"what goes around comes around". To read that Mr. Wilson, the same Mr.Wilson who in the Washington Post piece blasted former coaches, student/athletes & parents after they commented on what the school was doing to the sports programs now has filed a suit against the school. According to him it was the sports programs/culture that were the cancer at the school. Now he knows it is Mangano who is the cancer. Oh how I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when Mangano dropped the axe on Mr. Wilson.
Glad to see the facts finally laid out for all to see! Sad that it took this long. Maybe if the NDA community knew about Mangano, her cronies (including Conway) and her "vision" earlier they would have been able to head her off at the pass. Maybe then NDA would not have lost a great head of school, Ed Hoffman, fantastic coaches like Mike Lockhart & Mike Teasley and dedicated teachers like Frank Roque.
Va. School's Shift Away From Catholicism Leaves Board, Parents in Turmoil
By Michael Birnbaum
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 1, 2008; Page B01
What happens when you take Catholicism out of a Catholic school?
That's what parents, teachers and administrators are exploring in a battle over the fate of Notre Dame Academy, a high school in Middleburg that has declared it will no longer follow rules governing Catholic schools despite objections from the bishop of Arlington County and many in the school community.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...AR2008113001928.html
By Michael Birnbaum
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 1, 2008; Page B01
What happens when you take Catholicism out of a Catholic school?
That's what parents, teachers and administrators are exploring in a battle over the fate of Notre Dame Academy, a high school in Middleburg that has declared it will no longer follow rules governing Catholic schools despite objections from the bishop of Arlington County and many in the school community.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...AR2008113001928.html