The Holy Cross Educator

HOLY CROSS EDUCATOR

CANDY BATES SCIENCE TEACHER

“Candy's depth of knowledge in the life and environmental sciences is second to none. She is dedicated to the Hoban mission of educating the heart and mind of all of her students." – Diane Cook, Science Department Chair

CENTER FOR SUSTAINABILITY

Candy Bates has taught science at Hoban since 2007. She was hired as a long-term substitute and was offered a full-time teaching position the following academic year. During her service at Hoban, she has brought energy and passion to the life sciences and school community. After 13 years of teaching, Bates continues to innovate new and creative ways to teach science and instill a love of learning in her students. Most recently, she has developed the Center for Sustainability, which will be offered to seniors in the fall of 2021.

"The Center will offer a new way of learning for senior students," Bates said. "They will apply knowledge learned in environmental science, bioethics and public health to real-world scenarios while working and volunteering at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Developing this program has been an exciting opportunity to rethink part of the required schooling in which we aren’t always inside or doing the same thing. It would have excited me as a high school student."

Bates has been gradually working toward this final stage to pilot a sustainability cohort. During the 2020-21 school year, she introduced the public health course. The course investigates how societies can work to improve the health of the community as a whole by preventing disease. Students also learn the differences from traditional medical care, which focuses on helping individuals who are already ill. Next school year, Hoban will offer a bioethics course, designed and taught by Bates, which will investigate the increasing importance of applying an ethical framework to societies advancing in science and technology. Students will learn the four pillars of bioethics – autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence and justice – and use case studies and research to apply them to modern scientific scenarios. Students enrolled in the Center for Sustainability will identify the intersections between those two courses and environmental science.

“As a Catholic school and as part of the broader Catholic and Holy Cross community, we are supposed to take care of our planet," Bates said. "We are called to care for the poor. The sustainability cohort is a way to provide experiential learning opportunities to learn and practice living out that calling.”

During the pilot year, approximately 10 seniors will enroll in the Center, with the goal of doubling that number in the future. The sustainability cohort will benefit students who have a passion and interest in the environment and conservation of natural resources, but it will also appeal to students who may struggle with traditional instruction. The students will help design the curriculum by choosing an independent research project that includes bioethics, public health or environmental science and a personal interest of their own.

“Candy's depth of knowledge in the life and environmental sciences is second to none," said Diane Cook, chair of the science department. "She is dedicated to the Hoban mission of educating the heart and mind of each student and has worked tirelessly to develop the curriculum for so many courses. The science department continues to evolve, and Candy has played a huge role in our growth. The sustainability cohort is going to be a wonderful opportunity for our students to engage in authentic and timely work.”

WHY IS HOBAN SPECIAL?

"I have had the absolute privilege to work with nine Brothers of Holy Cross during my time at Hoban – it is an honor to follow in their footsteps. Teaching at a Holy Cross school allows me to connect our core values to the content we learn and explore every day. Being able to discuss option for the poor while teaching environmental science or educating hearts and minds in public health creates an outstanding learning environment."

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY WORKING AT HOBAN?

"I love the moments when students tell me that our classes have changed the course of their lives. I have had several students decide to include environmental science or public health as part of their college plans. Personally, I was very moved when my oldest son Noah, who will graduate in 2022, started at Hoban. I was so full of joy that a place that had been mine was now ours. Even though the year has been challenging, the feeling came again when Leo joined us in fall 2020 for his freshman year."

WHICH HOLY CROSS VALUES RESONATE MOST FOR YOU?

"At different times, each of the values has guided me. Right now, I think integrity is the one that holds a favored place. There is so much we cannot control but I am still responsible for teaching science in a way that creates lifelong learners and ethical thinkers. I want my students to recognize that truth, character and intent matter. We all need to create a better world each and every day."

ABOUT CANDY

"My husband Josh and I have been married since 2001. We met working at an environmental education internship in 1998. We have three children — Noah, 17, Leo, 15 and Helen, 3. I am a member of Saint Sebastian Parish in Akron where I serve as a cantor."