26 THE COURIER SUN • CATHOLIC SCHOOLS • JANUARY 21, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK St. John’s grant to help expand social justice education BY ERICA SIUDZINSKI Thanks to a generous grant, St. John’s University will have a hand in supporting a new generation of Catholic leaders. The university will be hosting the Vincentian Summer High School Theology Institute, a program made possible by a $596,847 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. The Institute will begin in July 2017, and will allow high school students to experience Catholic teaching and Vincentian spirituality through the lens of social justice. This program seeks to help students grow as young Catholic leaders in their schools and parishes. Students will participate in a one-week intensive academic and faith formation program where they will draw connections between the Catholic and Vincentian traditions of St. John’s and the needs of New York City residents. After studying theological foundations, students will put theory into action by providing community assistance and support to those in need. “This award provides St. John’s with the opportunity to help high school students grow as leaders through their experience of Catholic and Vincentian traditions at the University,” said Joann Heaney-Hunter, Ph.D., associate professor of theology and religious studies, who will serve as the project director. St. John’s Theology and Religious Studies faculty will collaborate with the Institute, and Catholic student leaders at the university will serve as staff and program mentors. Students will not only develop religious leadership skills, such as leading prayers and serving as group leaders, but important life skills as well. Students will learn to listen, communicate, and lead, allowing them to be better collaborators and leaders, in both religious and wider community settings. The Institute is accepting applications from students preparing to enter their second and third years in high school. Academies: The future of Catholic education in Brooklyn and Queens Catholic i nstitutions are moving away from the traditional parish school structure and towards an academy governance structure involving both the church and community members. Traditional Catholic schools are governed by the parish and a pastor is directly in charge. A Catholic academy, on the other hand, is governed by a two-tiered board, comprised of a Board of Members and a Board of Directors. The Board of Members is composed of clergy and maintains the Catholic identity of the academy and its programs. They serve as the primary sponsors of the academy, appoint Directors, and in some cases oversee multiple academies. The Board of Directors is composed of lay people who work closely with the principal, acting as the governing body of the academy. They select the principal, serve as an immediate supervising body, and share their expertise on a variety of subjects from fi nance to marketing and public relations. This two-tiered model allows for greater involvement from lay persons in the governance of Catholic schooling institutions. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors, lay persons and parents can get involved in the Home/Academy Association, which serves as a connection from home to academy. Every school within the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens will transition to the academy governance model by 2017 as a part of the Preserving the Vision plan, a strategic planning process initiated in 2008 to insure the future of Catholic education within the Diocese of Brooklyn. CTK Catholic Schools Week BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReport The Christ the King High School psychology class recently visited the Museum of Natural History, where they took part in a research class on human origin and brain development. The students got to examine skulls of different species to determine and compare their personality and functions compared to that of Pictured from left to right: Roenny Bueno, Arianna Arce, Melissa Rebecca, and hum ans. Carmela Faruggio
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