Written by Gabriel A. Jakubisin, head of school, Central City Ministry of Toledo, gjakubisin@ccmtschool.org
“And remember: it’s easy, boys and girls. Love God. Love Others. That’s It! Adios!” With these words, principal John Hargen signs off from his afternoon announcements at Queen of Apostles Catholic School in Toledo, OH. A native Spanish speaker from Puerto Rico, Señor Hargen taught Spanish for a decade at Queen of Apostles Catholic School before becoming principal three years ago. The school, tucked away in the Old South End of Toledo in a primarily Mexican-American neighborhood, benefits greatly from Hargen’s knowledge of the Spanish language and Hispanic culture.
Two facets of Hargen’s culture and virtue building approach at Queen of Apostles Catholic School are worth noting. First is his easy way of integrating the students’ home culture into the daily life of the school. The morning Hail Mary is sometimes in English, sometimes in Spanish. Many announcements are repeated in Spanish or delivered in a combination of English and Spanish: “When you get home, tell your mom, dad, mami, papi, abuela, abuelo, …” This cultural sensitivity occurs in big ways and in small ways. The Día de Muertos altar, organized by Señorita Hernandez, the Spanish teacher, graces the school just outside the main office for several days leading up to and following the universal Church’s celebration of All Saints’ Day. With the typical style of decoration and covered with photos of family members brought in by students and staff, this practice unifies the spiritual life that many students experience at home with that experienced at school. Similarly, the celebration of Mass for La Virgen de Guadalupe, including the procession led by dancers from Toledo’s Hispanic dance troupe, El Corazon de Mexico, is a beautiful way of honoring the Patroness of the Americas in a way that the students feel at home in the liturgy.
These singular events are not isolated nods to student culture though. Every day, as Señor Hargen moves through the building every student is not only greeted by name, but in the language Hargen knows that that student prefers. It’s amazing to me as I walk through the hallways with him how smoothly he transitions from “Good morning, Rose! How are you?” to “Hola, Alejandro! Qué tal?” It’s one thing to be a faith-filled school leader who “calls by name” as Jesus does, but doing so in the language and cadence with which the student will feel most comfortable adds an even deeper layer of belonging.
In the short three years of Hargen’s leadership at Queen of Apostles Catholic School, the culture has blossomed through his efforts and those of his team. The student sense of belonging is palpable. At the graduation Mass and commencement last May, both the commencement address and the comments given by two students on behalf of the eighth grade class were delivered partially in English and partially in Spanish; both addresses talked about how the environment at Queen of Apostles Catholic School allowed students to flourish.
A good teacher friend of mine has the sticker on her water bottle: “Love the students, then teach them.” Señor Hargen and his team certainly live this by the way they embrace the identity of their students and make them feel at home.
Having established a sense of belonging, the team at Queen of Apostles Catholic School moves to build up each student through their second major culture and virtue building approach: The 7 Habits of Happy Kids. Based on the classic text for adults by Stephen Covey, Sean Covey’s Happy Kids version applies the same principles in a way that students can understand and practice. Moreover, our identity as a Catholic school “baptizes” the practice with saint quotes and scriptural stories. It is a powerful experience to walk into a potentially contentious parent meeting, thinking “Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood,” knowing St. Francis of Assisi and the Good Teacher Himself would give the exact same advice. Or, by the same token, to think about “synergizing” in the sense of being a faith community, living with the Communion of Saints by the grace of the community of the Trinity. When the Holy Spirit is present to every conversation, synergy can really take off!
These 7 Habits decorate almost every room and hallway in the school, but Señor Hargen also regularly uses the language of the 7 Habits, commenting on them from our faith perspective and giving practical examples that kids can understand, in school assemblies, in classroom visits, or during morning or afternoon announcements. “Make sure to ‘Put First Things First’ by getting your homework done right away, but don’t forget to ‘Sharpen the Saw’ by getting some time outside to play!”
As St. Thomas Aquinas would tell us, instilling virtue is about building habits—habits that imitate Christ and help us to act in accordance with the divine will. These habits lead us to beatitude, to happiness. Covey’s 7 Habits and Christ’s 8 Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount may not have one-to-one alignment, but they both ask us to journey toward happiness by building habits in accord with what is good. Without a doubt, the team at Queen of Apostles Catholic School is helping students along this journey and forming virtuous, “happy” kids.
The slogan of our network—“Love God. Love Others. That’s It!”—has been totally embraced by Señor Hargen, so much so that the staff made t-shirts that have the slogan on the front and “Adios!” on the back. Our simple reminder to ourselves of Jesus’ two Great Commandments is the thread that runs through Hargen’s school leadership, making our students feel known and loved and encouraging them to a well-rounded, virtuous, and happy life.
