Promoting Catholic Education on Capitol Hill

Leaders from the National Catholic Educational Association join the principal, assistant principal and students from Corpus Christi School, Falls Church, Va., on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The group posed prior to the students heading out to deliver background information on Catholic schools to the 60 members of the Senate and House education committees.

Pictured with the students are NCEA staffers Brother Robert Bimonte, FSC, executive director, Elementary Schools Department; Daniel Curtin, executive director, Chief Administrators of Catholic Education Department; Dr. Regina Haney, executive director, Boards and Councils Department; Kathy Schmitt, Communications Office and Mike Conroy, Secondary Schools Department;.

Leaders from Corpus Christi School in the diocese of Arlington included George Chiplock, principal and Kurt Kaufmann, assistant principal. The eight students are all members of the 8th grade class.

The group was filling in for the almost 100 students and teachers who had been scheduled to meet with congressional leaders on January 28, the official National Appreciation Day For Catholic Schools. That event was cancelled for the first time in its history due to a snow and ice storm that shuttered Washington area schools for two days. “While we were unable to reschedule the event due to congressional schedules, it was vital that congressional leaders on the Senate and House education committees hear from Catholic educators about key issues facing our schools,” said Karen Ristau, NCEA president.

Dr. Ristau and Marie Powell, executive director, Secretariat of Catholic Education, United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB), joint sponsors of the event, were pleased that Corpus Christi students were willing to make personal deliveries of the materials.

“Our young ambassadors were able to turn the tables and educate adults today about the challenges as well as the opportunities our schools are facing,” said Mrs. Powell.
Catholic Schools Week was established by NCEA and USCCB to put the spotlight on the contributions made and community service given by Catholic schools to the church and to the country. Catholic Schools Week was held January 25-31, with the theme "Catholic Schools Celebrate Service." It always begins on the last Sunday in January.

National Appreciation Day For Catholic Schools is a day of outreach to community and government leaders, and is usually held on Wednesday of Catholic Schools Week. On January 28, at the state and city levels, dozens of Catholic educators from around the country met with local civic representatives to present information about area the Catholic school network.

NCEA is the largest private, professional education association in the world. Founded in 1904, the Association's membership represents more than 200,000 educators serving 7.6 million students at all levels of Catholic education. USCCB is the national public policy organization of the bishops in the United States.