Vision ’30 includes four major academic initiatives. But, it is the fourth initiative that has had a profound impact on Casey Yandek ’95, Chair of the English Department:
Create opportunities for all students to regularly engage in experiences - in the classroom and through extracurricular activities - that promote understanding and analysis of social justice issues and generate paths to action that emerge from learning.
Prior to his tenure as Chair, Yandek found that many of his students were telling him they had written final exam papers for English IV, Theology, and Environmental Science classes that were similar in content. Theology Department Chair Joe Betz ’01 was hearing the same comments from his students. The two alumni, colleagues, and friends started talking and thought maybe they could create some bridges between the departments which would accomplish that fourth Vision ’30 initiative and also prioritize students’ mental health. The ‘light bulb went on’ and they thought “Why don’t we create a class where we are doing some of the same things, just digging a little deeper into the topic and have it work for both classes?”
Betz and Yandek shared their idea with Principal Dr. Anthony Fior ’02, Assistant Principal for Faculty Formation Pat Gallagher ’04, and outgoing English Chair Dr. Terra Caputo. After some discussion and discernment, the team was on board. Yandek’s English IV and Betz’s Catholic Social Teaching cross-disciplinary class, which started in 2022, is now in its third year and going strong.
The process is simple. After a student registers for classes, Curriculum Technologist Andrew Johnson ’79 sends Yandek and Betz a list of the seniors who have signed up for Catholic Social Teaching and English IV classes. The teachers send a targeted email to students explaining the class, and students can opt-in or opt-out. There may be students who would like to take the class but cannot, due to their schedules. Students take both classes back-to-back. Once every seven days, the two sections meet as a group to explore where the two courses intersect.
The purpose of the class, beyond proximity, is to dig into root cause analysis and do the hard work of moving beyond just charity and into the realm of justice, which the Catholic Church explains in the following way: " [Justice] Concerns the social, political, and economic aspects and, above all, the structural dimension of problems and their respective solutions," (from “Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church”, no. 201). The Roman Catholic Church calls this the "Two feet of love in action: charity and justice."
Among the benefits of having extended class time, students can take field trips where they can experience social justice firsthand. In September, the students participated in an immersion trip and visited the Community West Foundation’s Matthew 25 Collection. The Matthew 25 Collection is a group of six sculptures by Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz that represent the areas of the Gospel of Matthew that call for caring for those in need: “Homeless Jesus” (located at St. Malachi Parish), “When I Was Naked” (located at Malachi House), “When I Was Sick” (located at Cleveland Clinic Lutheran Hospital), “When I Was in Prison” (Located at Bridge CLE - formerly Family Ministry Center), “When I Was a Stranger (located at The Refugee Response at Urban Community School) and “When I Was Hungry and Thirsty” (located at the Old Stone Church). One of the Foundation’s board members, Fred DeGrandis ’68, heard about the Wildcats' planned trip and funded the bus transportation for the students.
According to Betz, the students had just read Matthew 25 and The Beatitudes, and the Bishops wanted this to be part of the curricular framework. From this section of Matthew, we get the Corporal Works of Mercy on which our
C.A.T. program is focused on, with roots in the Eucharist. All of this work both in charity and justice erupts out of Jesus Christ, the Church, and the Eucharist and should return us to Jesus Christ, the Church, and the Eucharist.
This is the second year of the Matthew 25 Collection trip. Last year when this cross-curricular class visited the art installation, they met a recovering addict who was working at one of the sites. This impromptu conversation had a profound effect on the students. The boys also had the privilege of visiting with patients at the end stage of life at Malachi House.
This year the teachers plan to take the students to visit Edwin’s Bakery, founded by Brandon Chrostowski. The organization offers formerly incarcerated adults culinary and hospitality skills, affording them opportunities for careers in those fields. Betz and Yandek hope to add additional immersion trip sites each year. According to Betz, one of the reasons the program is growing and getting stronger every year is because of the connections they are making in the community.
When asked about the students’ reactions to the immersion experiences, Yandek says it's different for each student. “You can identify the boys that have done service, served a Saturday morning meal at St. Malachi, or done
Labre, because they are more comfortable. The other boys gradually warm up and we often have to pull the boys away when it’s time to leave,” he adds.
The feedback on this course has been extremely positive, say the teachers. According to Yandek: “I have had more parents come to Open House since this program started than I have in 20 years. Parents have been extremely positive about the program, asking what texts the boys are reading and what immersion trips have been planned.”
The students were assigned “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson for summer reading and it has aligned well with the objectives of the course. In his book, Stevenson writes about getting close to people on death row and learning their stories as individuals. “It’s all about proximity. This is one of the lessons the students are learning in class,” says Betz.
Both Betz and Yandek are passionate about what they do. As it turns out, both had a wonderful mentor in Joe’s mom and retired Saint Ignatius English teacher, Kathy Betz. Kathy was also Casey’s freshman English teacher and his mentor when he was a student teacher. Both men say Ms. Betz taught them about a social justice focus, talking about these issues before it was an intentional focus. According to Joe, “I was formed by Saint Ignatius. I was formed in the era of Jim Skerl ’74, Dr. Pennock ’64, Ed Nolan Hon. ’19, and all these folks that lived this. Vision ’30 is clear on this, we always have ways to grow. Our service initiatives are rock solid. We are just learning how to dig more into the big questions about structural root causes which is part of our faith, but it's often not talked about as much. Casey and I got that start around here from all the greats. Now it’s our turn to give something back.”
And indeed, they are doing just that.
This story was originally printed in the Saint Ignatius 2024 Fall magazine.