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GENERATIONS OF CATHOLIC
EDUCATION – The St. Stephen’s School
Class of 1950 photos tell a uniquely Catholic
story. Generations of area residents have attended
Catholic schools and then sent their own children
on to Catholic elementary, high schools
and colleges. Catholic education in the United
States has been a phenomenal success story for
Catholics and the entire country. The newly
formed Catholic Alumni Partnership is encouraging
all Catholic school alumni to invest in the
future of Catholic education.
Passing on the Gift of Catholic Education
By MEG BARONE
Published in the February 2010 Issue of the Fairfield County Catholic
Some financial experts
recommend companies provide
educational opportunities for
their employees during downturns
in the economy, claiming
education is a “safe investment”
in troubled economic times.
Education, they say, can maximize
a company’s overall worth
because it improves the most
important aspect of any business
– its human capital.
It
follows,
then, that
a Catholic
education
is a “safe
investment”
in a troubled
world; and
even if the
world were not
in such turmoil,
hundreds of
thousands of
parents would
continue to find a
substantial return
on investment by
sending their children
to parochial
schools.
“When you
attend Catholic
school you receive
dividends for
life,” said Dr. Margaret
Dames, Bridgeport Diocesan
Superintendent of Schools.
Beyond Academic Excellence
Those dividends identified by
parents who send their children
to parochial schools go well
beyond academic excellence to
include leadership, the ability to
work independently and think
critically, motivation to strive
for personal and professional
excellence, the courage to
challenge themselves, respect
for self and others, compassion,
social responsibility,
and spiritual stamina; that
is the resilience to face and
get through life’s challenges
and to use every
obstacle as an opportunity.
They are the pillars
that create the foundation
for learning and living,
parents said.
Legacy of Faith
Supporters of
Catholic schools
are ensuring those
dividends for the
next generation, not
just with a vote of
confidence through
tuition payments
for their own children, but by
contributing to the schools
through the Catholic Alumni
Partnership. The Partnership
aims to reconnect alumni with
their Catholic elementary
schools as a means of creating
a sustainable fundraising program,
with alumni support as
its foundation.
“I think it’s a great foundation
for our kids. They are
infused with Christian values
that they will take with them
for the rest of their life,” said
Christine Caldwell of Stratford.
“It takes a village
and I feel
like I really
get so much
support for
our beliefs,
mine and my
husband’s, at
school,” said
Caldwell, a
graduate of
St. James
School
who has
one student in 7th grade at St.
James and a sophomore at St.
Joseph’s
High
School in
Trumbull.
“Many Fairfield County
parishioners have
graduated from
Catholic schools and this experience
has made a difference
in their lives. The legacy of
faith, academic excellence and
discipline continue today in
our 39 schools in the Diocese
of Bridgeport,”
Dames said, and
it will continue
for generations
to come with
funding through
Catholic Alumni
Partnership.
Parents, students
and educators are
reflecting on those
dividends during
Catholic Schools
Week, an annual
national celebration
which is observed
this year from Jan.
31 to Feb. 6. Catholic
Schools Week is a joint
project of the National
Catholic Educational
Association and the
United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops.
Hundreds of Fairfield
County alumni have
already answered the
call in an effort to keep
Catholic schools operating
and thriving.
Debra Gerstenfeld, of
Fairfield, and her husband
are products of the
Catholic school system,
both from kindergarten through
college, and knew their children
would be well prepared for life
academically and from a spiritual
perspective armed with a
Catholic school education.
A FAMILY TRADITION – Amanda Gerstenfeld
proudly wears her uniform for Our Lady of Assumption
School in Fairfield. Her older brother, Bryan, is a student
at Fairfield Prep.
“It’s very hard in today’s
environment to stay on top of
morality and the religious aspect
of life as two parents, and you
try to do that the best you can,
but the schools reinforces that,”
says Gerstenfeld,
whose 14-yearold
son is a freshman
at Fairfield
Preparatory
School and
daughter, age 11,
is a sixth-grader
at Our Lady of
the Assumption.
“We wanted
them to have
that exposure to
learning about
God and our
religion as well
as the traditional
moral aspects of
religion; not just
what does it say
in the Bible but
how does that
apply to real life
and what you’re
going through as
kids today. We
thought that it
would be best
for them in the
long run to have that exposure
on a regular basis every day,”
Gerstenfeld says.
Still Thriving
The majority of parents who
choose parochial school for
their children are Catholic, and
many graduated from Catholic
educational institutions themselves.
But being Catholic is not
a prerequisite for admission.
“I’m not Catholic myself,
however, I’m still thriving on
what I learned in school. The
core values we learned on a
daily basis are the things that
I try to instill in my children,”
says Maurice Hill, a graduate of
Kolbe Cathedral High School
in Bridgeport. Hill’s daughter
Dominica is a junior at Kolbe
and his son, Maurice Jr., will
be a freshman there in the next
school year. Hill identified himself
as a non-denominational
Christian who was raised in the
Baptist church.
Hill says the values and
the learning atmosphere of
Catholic schools are often missing
in other schools. “I love
the size of the classes, the size
of the school, the structure of
the school, and the faculty and
administration are second to
none. I live in Bridgeport and
public schools are busting out
at the seams,” he says. “I know
that my children would never
get the same attention
in a Bridgeport public
school as they do at
Kolbe Cathedral.”
“We find it a nurturing
community,”
says Cathy Devine,
of Norwalk. She has four
children who have graduated
from Catholic elementary
schools and a seventh grader
at All Saints. “There are a lot
of faith-based activities in the
school which you would never
get in public school,” Devine
says. Additionally, she says,
“Teachers are not there for the
money so there’s a real dedication
to the teaching profession.
They could go elsewhere but
they choose not to.”
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