CATHOLIC EDUCATION FOR ALL

at CBHS because of the Brothers, the lay faculty, who were almost more determined to see me succeed than I was at the time. And the focus on both academics and athletics allowed me to become a very well-rounded individual.”

But since becoming an educator, Aur has seen the Catholic school landscape in Memphis change over the past couple of decades, watching as the Jubilee schools reopened for 20 years, only for many Catholic schools in urban Memphis to be shut down. That puts more of an onus on institutions like St. Ann to continue providing an excellent standard of Catholic education. Building on the foundation of a STEM-focused curriculum, St. Ann follows the STREAM approach, which incorporates a heavy focus on both religion and arts. It’s all in the service of providing a more well-rounded approach to students as they grow up.

The education landscape changes constantly, and schools must always adapt accordingly. That’s no different for Catholic schools in Memphis, but despite the changes, many institutions like Christian Brothers High School have continued to adhere to the core tenets of their teaching philosophies to build well-rounded students. Three Catholic elementary school principals have held their experiences as Brothers’ Boys close as they guide young students through their formative years, and each has utilized his experiences to chart a course for the future of Catholic education.

Didier Aur ’79 Principal, St. Ann Catholic School

Didier Aur never imagined that he’d end up in education, let alone as head of a Catholic institution in Memphis. But despite looking to pursue a different career path after graduating from college, he soon felt the pull of education and began his teaching career.

“If you had asked me to list all the occupations I was interested in, education wasn’t on there,” laughs Aur. “But later, the reality hit: I realized that was what I loved doing, and it’s what I was good at.”

Now 34 years into his career, Aur currently serves as principal of St. Ann Catholic School in Bartlett, where he looks to uphold a high standard of Catholic education that he picked up during his time as a student at Christian Brothers High School. “I succeeded

For Aur, a Catholic education means instilling in students a commitment to a life of faith, a love of God, and salvation. “The whole purpose of the Catholic school is Jesus,” he says. It’s not about being on a private campus, or being in a comfortable environment. What he hopes to impart is that students should strive to be doing God’s work, both at school and out in the world.

“One thing I picked up from the Brothers is that we should be providing a direct service to the poor. And that means making ourselves accessible to low-income families. It’s concerning that many of our urban schools closed, but I see schools like Christian Brothers High School, where I can think of so many Brothers who worked tirelessly to make sure that students of all backgrounds, whether they could afford it or not, would be able to attend school there.”

Beyond academics, a key feature of Catholic educators is a focus on moral formation and teaching young students to do the right thing. “What we do is follow the gospel,” says Aur. “The teachings direct us in what we do every day. We have to have faith to follow the teachings of Jesus. And we want to be compassionate, and forgiving. So as educators, we err on the side of the students, to give them every chance to succeed, and to be compassionate as we teach.”

If students come away from this experience with a better sense of self, then Aur considers it a success. After all, he and his fellow Catholic educators are all working towards the same goal. “When we help students succeed and grow, they’ll want to continue the Catholic education as they get older,” he says. “As we see people move away from the Church, they forget about its importance and moral development. It’s up to us to demonstrate through our actions and our faith, who we are and who we can become.” educating the person as well. As they grow at Holy Rosary, we’re making sure in our classrooms and school environment that they learn how to treat one another, how they’re called to love another, forgive, and do all the things God has asked us to do.”

For Mullis, it all boils down to making each student into a better person. If each student leaves school embodying that Catholic ethos, then it creates better citizens and a community that works together and helps each other. “That moral formation is part of developing the whole child, and it’s a vital part of our educational process. It’s more than just teaching ABCs and 123s, but how to be a good person.” with learning differences feel at home in the classroom. “I’d say it’s been a transitionary period for us here at Holy Rosary,” he says. “We’ve been adding new programs to our curriculum that help us better accommodate our children.”

For example, he explains, “Our ANGEL Program, which provides yearround intervention and support for our children on the autism spectrum, is in its ninth year. In the summer, we have a learning center program for children with language-based support needs, and we also offer a program for children with dyslexia. We want a Catholic education to be accessible for all students no matter the challenge. It’s part of that ethos, of being there for your neighbor, and it is a priority for Holy Rosary.”

Mullis wants to see a community in Memphis where people do good for each other, and providing the foundation of a Catholic education is the means to achieve that dream. “There’s a lot to be said for the traditional classroom approach, but not all students learn the same way, and you can’t always sit them down at a desk to have them listen,” he says. “We’ve started looking at different teaching modalities, looking at different ways in which technology can help with getting our message across. I think that’s the start of a process that many schools are pursuing.”

Darren Mullis

’86 Principal, Holy Rosary Catholic School

“We’re not just educating them academically,” says Darren Mullis, “we’re

But as the schooling landscape has changed in recent years, Mullis recognizes that he and other Catholic educators must find new ways to connect with students. For its part, Holy Rosary, located in East Memphis, pours lots of effort into making sure students

After students graduate from Holy Rosary, Mullis wants to see them further their Catholic education at an institution like his alma mater so that they may continue to hone both their academics and their persons in a faith-based environment. “It’s a long-term process of teaching our kids to be leaders and community-builders,” he says. “To teach them how to be a child of God and to do the things he wants you to do in your life. That is our goal.”

Looking back on his time at Christian Brothers High School, he knows that a curriculum and upbringing like that will shape students for years to come.

“I’ve always thought back on my time at Christian Brothers,” Mullis says. “I love working with kids, and I want others to be able to have the experience I had for themselves.”

Chad

Earlier this year, Immaculate Conception implemented a new mission statement, asking faculty and students to focus on integrity, community compassion, service, justice, and respect. Chad Stevens, principal of Immaculate Conception Cathedral School, took inspiration from the school’s origin from the Sisters of Mercy and hopes that the new outlook can inspire young students to get their first taste of a Catholic education.

“Those values are what we teach in a Catholic school, not so much in a conventional public school setting,” says Stevens, who has experienced both environments as an administrator. “I think there, you’re taught to survive, but we want to teach our students about respect. We teach this to both Catholics and non-Catholics who attend our school, and the curriculum is embraced by both groups.”

Stevens sees that students become inquisitive soon after they step foot into the Midtown classrooms at Immaculate Conception and he encourages that behavior at every phase of their education. In his words, his job is not to evangelize or convert students, but simply to instruct the ethics and values they should aspire to live by.

“In many public spaces, Jesus just isn’t there,” he says. “You can’t talk about that in public schools, but that’s what we talk about every day here in the classroom. We teach them how to be good people, good members of the community. That’s what I took out of my time at Christian Brothers High School, for example, and it’s something that we aim to instill at a young age.”

As principal, Stevens spends time mulling over what it is that draws families and prospective students to a Catholic education and how that approach to education can continue to thrive. For him, one of the big draws for young students is the teaching of morals and ethics. Echoing his colleagues’ focus on inclusion, he believes some students should be brought into the fold. “I think there are some preconceptions that Catholic education is for the elite, in some countries. I want to change that mindset, to show that this is for everybody and that we welcome everyone.”

“As we grow our curriculum, we must also embrace the Latino population, both here and outside of Memphis,” Stevens continues. “Research shows that Caucasians are the minority in the Catholic Church in the United States. We’re doing that outreach, and that’s a population that I think we should embrace as we work to build up Catholic schools again.”

While Stevens plans for the future, he is confident that students will continue to appreciate a Catholic curriculum, just as he once did, and it was the reflections on his experience at CBHS that ultimately steered him back towards a career where he could impart his values and Catholic faith in the classroom. “I loved every minute of my time at Christian Brothers,” he says. “It made a big impression on me. My instruction there, the teachers, how it formed me as a person ... everything. It’s why I do what I do.”