 | |
On a hot day in August of 1983, I arrived at the Salesianum School in Wilmington, Delaware, just a few days prior to the arrival the incoming freshman class. Just two months previously I had completed eighteen happy years in Philadelphia, so starting life over again in Delaware stretched me more than a little. But great things were waiting for me at “Sallies” (as we called it), although I did not know it at the time. A very positive experience was in the offing, for which I would be forever grateful.
Early on I recognized Salesianum for what it was, and for what I understand it still it: a very good school. Education was taken seriously there by faculty and parents alike, and usually by most of the student body. As a large, long-established institution, it enjoyed a richness of programs, both curricular and extra curricular. The |
administration worked seriously to create a positive atmosphere for teachers, students, staff and other stakeholders alike. Concerted efforts were made to limit tuition costs with the hope of trying to avoid pricing itself beyond the reach of students coming from families of average or modest means. In addition, significant financial aid was offered to many families whose sons might otherwise have gone elsewhere.
I addition to my teaching assignment, my teaching schedule, the principal informed me that I would serve as the new moderator of the Salesianum football program, a task I had neither foreseen nor sought. In fact, after eighteen busy years at Father Judge High School in Philadelphia, I had hoped to be able to keep most of my after-school time for myself. Much to my surprise, however, it turned out to be a far greater – and more rewarding – blessing than any amount of after-school free time would have afforded me.
As an ordained member of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, moderating a sport required me to wear many hats, sometimes at one time: chaplain / motivator / consoler / peace maker / ombudsman / presence / fan. Overnight I quickly found myself at the center of a new and diverse family: freshmen, junior varsity, and varsity players, team managers and coaches, parents siblings and alumni. Rather than simply serving as an add-on to my primary role as classroom teacher, the role of moderator became a major focus my ten-year tenure at Salesianum, an experience that continues to enrich me even to this day.
Salesianum is very much a “serious” school: intentional firmness of purpose and mission permeate every dimension of the school community. It aims to produce what we call the “Salesian gentleman,” a young man who integrates – and practices - the virtues of the school’s patron, St. Francis de Sales. These most clearly include Christian faith and morality, the qualities of a gentleman, and the recognition that anything worthwhile in life requires a spirit of tenacity. No doubt it is a lofty goal, but a deliberate one, and the challenge of high expectations (as Francis de Sales once wrote: “Be who you are, and be that well.”) is set before every student, regardless of ability, interest, race, creed or socio-economic status.
The arts play a significant role in the lives of many Salesianum students. The marching band performs throughout the year. A prize-winning Model UN (United Nations) team competes nationally and internationally. The geographically diverse origins of the student body (Delaware, southern Pennsylvania, and northern Maryland) provide a very inclusive and diverse environment.
The optimism with which Salesianum faces the future is demonstrated by the on-going expansion and modernization efforts evident in recent years. Chief among them is an entirely new building dedicated to mathematics and science. Athletic, kitchen, and diving areas have been enhanced. Computer literacy education is universal. And through all this, the curriculum continues to offer the humanities as a critical pillar of the overall program.
With a rich past (including the successes and struggles of any organization over 100 years old!), the Salesianum tradition is a long and loving legacy. The reality of the present is a good work in progress, when talent and application combine to shape and change lives for the better.
A former football coach with whom I worked some years ago (with whom I continue a strong friendship to this day), often described the primary purpose of our football program in these words: “We help young boys to become good men who can stand on their own two feet and accept responsibility.” Based on my own experience there, that describes the whole of Salesianum to a tee.
(Rev.) John Brennan, OSFS, currently resides at the Oblate community at Childs, Maryland.
|
