Dear NCEA Members:
For those of you who were able to join us in San Diego for the 2016 Convention & Expo, I hope you were as inspired and excited as I was about the great blessings of Catholic schools. NCEA 2016 provided us an opportunity to listen and engage with others, acquire new knowledge and reaffirm our faith and commitment to Catholic education.
Personally, I saw so clearly the commitment, faith and passion of the almost 5,000 teachers, principals and leaders who daily educate almost 2 million Catholic school students in the United States every day. I saw people wanting to learn and grow, and we prayed together deeply. At Convention the sense of passion and love for the students we serve was palpable, and I know it is simply a reflection of the reality in all teachers and leaders across the country.
Stephanie Hill, a teacher from St. Joseph Catholic School in Huntington, W.Va., said in an article she wrote for the Huntington Herald-Dispatch,
…now that I reflect back on all three years of attendance, each one has been a unique experience. Further, all have fostered learning and promoted feelings of professional and spiritual renewal. This year was no exception.
Throughout Convention, Catholic educators across the country engaged with us to proclaim the good news of Catholic education. #NCEA16 “trended” locally and nationally, 132 times in 26 different places for a total of 125 minutes. As we look to the future, we must keep sharing about our deep commitment and passion for the common mission and future of Catholic school education. We have a great story of extraordinary academic excellence and faith-filled education to share with each other and the world.
Convention highlights included:
- Social media engagement. View the Story of NCEA 2016 Convention & Expo as told by #NCEA16! http://bit.ly/1qmysXd
- Leaders in Catholic education. View photos of the NCEA 2016 moments with attendees and award winners on Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/ncea/albums.
- Inspirational Keynote Address. Watch a video highlight of David Coleman’s Opening Keynote Address http://bit.ly/2080F04.
- Professional development sessions. Read about presentations and sessions on the NCEA Blog, https://nceatalk.org, and look for your friends and colleagues giving heartfelt testimonials http://bit.ly/23pzmQR.
If you didn’t get to hear it in person, I encourage you to listen to David Coleman’s thoughtful message about his five laws to live by: productive solitude; reverent reading of sacred texts, such as the Bible; restful excellence, such as remembering to keep the Sabbath holy; gratitude and grace; and offering a safe haven for body and spirit. This message provides us inspiration to encounter Christ and his life-giving message in the hallways and classrooms of our Catholic schools.
Thank you for all that you do to bring Christ’s love, in partnership with an academically excellent education, to so many young people every day.
