Pope John Paul II High School

Courage To Excel

Since my arrival at Pope John Paul II High School this summer, the constant buzzword I have heard is courage:

• the courage of this town to sell the property to a lower bidder;
• the courage of the first families to enroll in a school that had no precedent or accreditation;
• the courage of the students to become involved in athletics, drama, student council, and Christian service;
• the courage of the administration to seek accreditation before the first class graduates.

Day in and day out I have seen how this courage is demonstrated, on the stage or on the playing field, in the classroom and in the hallways, both on and off campus.

For example, early in September, we were blessed to have on campus Loretta Claiborne, who won an ESPY award for courage, to listen to her motivational presentation, and to learn how Special Olympics changed her life. Miss Claiborne was born legally blind and with mental retardation. But the Special Olympics program transformed her from an angry child to a world-class runner who inspired many. She placed special emphasis on Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s quote that has become the oath of Special Olympics, and one that remains with her as she does her very best each and every day:  “Let me win; but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”

Nothing could ring more true for our up-and-coming school, and more specifically our athletics program. As we continue to build, to add new sports, and to compete without even a senior class, our student-athletes show courage in competition and represent the school well throughout the Cape and surrounding communities. The work they put in at practice; the hours devoted to film, fitness training, and competing; and the way in which our student-athletes are dignified and compete with class show the courage that embodies what it means to be a Pope John Paul II Lion.

Still, September had more profiles in courage in store for us.  At the end of the month, we assembled with our friends from Saint Francis Xavier Preparatory School and Saint Pius X School for a presentation by Dr. Christopher de Vinck, the author of one of our summer reading books, The Power of the Powerless. Dr. de Vinck spoke of his brother Oliver, who was entirely helpless yet managed to touch hearts the world over. Throughout his presentation Dr. de Vinck’s emphasized that, “If Oliver could do so much with so little, how much more could you do with all that you have been given?”

His challenge encompasses the goals JPII HS is driven to achieve.

The school’s roots already stretch from Bourne to Provincetown, but there is still so much room to reach out and influence others around us. From Crosswalk’s (the school’s Social Justice group) weekly Food Day project to the summer (and on-going) service projects with Cape Abilities, CHAMP House, and Habitat for Humanity, students have willingly reached out to assist those in the Hyannis area and on the Cape. They have chosen to use the talents given them to bless the La Salette Community (Godspell production), to build our athletics program, and to serve each other (our newly-elected student council officers).

But the possibilities are endless.

So as the school continues to grow, Dr. de Vinck’s challenge for all students and staff is to use all that we have been given to touch the lives of others.

In my first six weeks of here at JPII HS, I have been consistently impressed with the students’ courage and dedication to living out the school’s mission:

• in creating traditions that will live on long after the current students graduate;
• in devoting so much of their time to building athletics programs, in hours upon hours of rehearsals so that the Godspell performance at La Salette Shrine would be a huge success;
• in running for student office with big hopes and dreams for changes to be made in the coming school year, and of course;
• in focusing in the classroom and striving to do their best in academics day in and day out.

The courage of these founding classes, the administration, faculty, and staff has created such strong bonds that foster dreams and advances with eyes always to the future, to the legacy that the current JPII community will leave behind for future generations of Cape Cod families.

I believe myself to be truly blessed to have this opportunity to teach in such a wonderful school, and I look forward to all that the coming months will bring.