5 minute read
Campus Happenings
Dr. Marco Clark, executive director of Holy Cross Institute at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, visited several Holy Cross schools, including Hoban in the fall. During his Nov. 11 visit, Clark toured the school, met with administration and student leaders and surveyed several classes. Mrs. Mary (Duffy ’83) Bulgrin's freshman religion class shared Hoban's history with Clark, a topic that is covered in the course.
As executive director, Clark and the Institute work directly with 18 primary and secondary schools and eight colleges and universities sponsored by Holy Cross in 14 states in the U.S. The Institute also supports the international education community of Holy Cross which spans 16 countries and five continents.
During a meeting with five student ambassadors, Clark informed them that there are currently 110,000 students attending Holy Cross schools. "You're becoming forces for good," Clark said. "I get goosebumps thinking about the impact. If 110,000 students are all going out to be disciples of hope to bring and as forces for good, that changes the world."
Clark knows well the Holy Cross tradition and education. He was taught by the Brothers of Holy Cross at Bishop MacNamara High School and earned his undergraduate degree in psychology and English from the College of Holy Cross. Early in his career, Clark worked as a teacher, guidance counselor, club moderator and coach. Throughout his early career he also held various other roles including director-level positions in admissions, guidance and curriculum development. In 1997 he was appointed principal of his high school alma mater, Bishop McNamara, and in 2010 was named the President/CEO.
The Institute, under Clark's direction, strengthens the Holy Cross values and mission in all schools and is a resource to school leadership.
During an all-school assembly and celebration, Hoban blessed and dedicated the Wentz Family Foundation Fields with members of the Wentz family, Cleveland Browns, Akron community and Hoban student body. The event celebrated the completion of the $1.1 million capital project that resurfaced the school’s grass athletic fields located on Black Street. The newly established Wentz Family Foundation Fields include two lined, high-quality synthetic turf playing fields and softball field.
An initial $250,000 grant from the NFL Foundation Grassroots Program, made possible through the Browns partnership, was awarded to help finance the resurfacing of one field. Hoban leveraged that grant to raise the additional funds necessary to resurface a second playing field and softball field. As a result, the Wentz Fields impact a much larger number of student-athletes, both at Hoban and among Akron community youth athletic leagues. "The motto for our family foundation is be part of the solution, not the solution, but part of the solution," Bud Wentz said during the event. "The purpose is to help whenever we see an opportunity to make children's lives better, safer, healthier and create opportunities to live their best lives. When Coach Tyrrell approached me and explained to me that it wasn't only going to help Hoban students but the entire community by creating a place for children to have a safe environment, we felt it was an absolute perfect fit."
The new fields not only accommodate busy practice schedules for Hoban athletics, but also provides a safe and clean environment for Akron community youth league student-athletes to practice and compete. Cheryl Stephens, president and CEO of East Akron Neighborhood Development Corp., attended the blessing and dedication, representing the youth athletic leagues and the City of Akron's partnership with Hoban.
HOBAN.ORG/WENTZ-FIELDS
"I was delighted when Hoban's leadership asked me to write a letter of support to the NFL because you are our future," Stephens said. "We hope you to do more than we do. We want to see you be bigger, better, stronger. Make this school and our greater Akron community bigger, better and stronger."
Browns representatives Darrell Taylor and offensive lineman Drew Forbes attended the event. Since May of 2016, the Haslam and Johnson families and Browns Give Back have been dedicated to providing Ohio communities with new field surfaces, focused on enhanced educational opportunities by promoting student engagement through youth and high school football, additional sports and other activities. Hoban's project is the 11th field installment in the past five years.
"The student-athletes, this is the reason we do what we do," Taylor said. "There are so many opportunities that exist because of the game of football, because of soccer, golf, etc. So, continue to do great things on the field as well as in the classroom." An all-school pep assembly was held following the blessing and dedication. Hoban students created a school-wide Tik Tok video, the dance and cheer team performed and the 2020-21 state championship teams were recognized, including boys golf, football, baseball and dance, which won two state titles.
ABOUT NFL FOUNDATION GRASSROOTS PROGRAM
The NFL Foundation Grassroots Program is a partnership of the National Football League Foundation and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation to provide nonprofit, neighborhood-based organizations with financial and technical assistance to improve the quality, safety and accessibility of local athletic fields. The NFL Foundation Grassroots Program provides grants of up to $250,000 for capital improvement projects.
Parks and ball fields can serve as tremendous community assets because they offer opportunities for recreation, education and relaxation that contribute to the local quality of life, especially for young people. Since 1998, the NFL Foundation Grassroots program has awarded more than $46 million in grants for more than 336 projects nationwide.
