Contrasting Catholic Education When Shirley Longwell Attended Vs. When I Attended (Elementary & Middle School)

Shirley attended Catholic schools for first through twelfth grade and there probably was no question about her attending the Catholic school instead of the public school. My parents sent us to Covell Elementary in our neighborhood for kindergarten since St. Adalbert School started at first grade and did not have kindergarten. They then sent all three daughters to St. Adalbert School for first through eighth grade. Shirley went to St. Adalberts through eighth grade. When she started school In September, 1945, it was nearly the end of the time period (1910 to 1945) which was the “Golden Age” of the Grand Rapids Polonia. The Polonia refers to the Polish diaspora -- Poles who live outside of Poland.) St. Adalbert’sl had nearly 2,000 families so it was the largest parish in the Grand Rapids Diocese. For elementary school through 8th grade, I also attended St. Adalbert’s School beginning in 1964. Enrollment in Catholic schools would peak in 1965. The church subsidized the school so there was no tuition when my Mom attended. Tuition started in 1957 for the high school and in 1965 for the elementary school. I started at St. Adalbert School in 1964 so my parents had to budget for that cost. I know my parents paid tuition for me and my sisters to attend and also needed to put more money n the weekly envelope to the church. Costs had increased because there were fewer sisters teaching and more lay staff. A third of the staff were lay teachers and the rest Notre Dame sisters. Catholic schools still exist in Grand Rapids today but many have been closed or merged. Shirley remembers walking a few blocks every day to get to school. The family lived near First St. and the school was on Fourth St. They had to cross one busy street -- Stocking Avenue -- to get there. When I was in kindergarten at the public school, the school was in the neighborhood, a few blocks away. I don't remember walking there but likely my Mom walked me with my sisters coming along. When I started first grade at St. Adalbert's, my parents taught me how to ride the city bus. I didn’t know that my father followed it the first few times to make sure I got off at the right place. I did that pretty much reliably except I do remember one time that I was eavesdropping on some teenagers and I missed my stop by a few blocks on the way home. I was very nervous walking back even though I knew what to do. Later our Dad brought me and my sisters to school on his way to work. On the census when Shirley was little, half or more of the adults in her inner westside neighborhood had immigrated from Poland. Ten years earlier when her older siblings were young, almost all their neighbors were immigrants -- mostly from Poland but other places like Germany also. Growing up, my family lived outside the neighborhood surrounding St. Adalbert. We were still within the city limits but on the farthest reaches of the westside. Our family was the only Catholic family among the families in the neighborhood that we knew. Shirley was taught by Notre Dame nuns who wore full habits. When I attended, a third of the staff were lay teachers and the rest Notre Dame sisters--some wearing full habits and veils and some wearing a shorter habit and veil. One thing that was the same is that students wore uniforms in both time periods. When Shirley attended, Mass was celebrated every morning and there were prayers throughout the day. I started out with daily Mass but it was celebrated once per week by the time I left. Mass transitioned from Latin to English The school was important to this group of parents who were of a mostly peasant background in order to pass on their faith and traditions to their children. Since new immigrants stopped coming by 1924, by the time Shirley attended school , an important goal was Americanizing children and helping them succeed in the culture while holding on to their faith. While the parents may have wanted them to hold on more to the old ways, Shirley’s generation was more involved outside the Polish enclave. When she started in September of 1943, the first half of Shirley’s first grade year was taught in Polish, then the instruction transitioned to English. Education at Catholic schools during this time period focused on religious education, citizenship, discipline and rote instruction. While the schools were moving toward a more American form, there was still a focus on religious instruction. Students learned grammar and reading, math, history and geography. Science was not emphasized until later. When I attended, the focus was not as much on maintaining a Catholic culture but more on a religious and moral development and a high quality education. Because of Vatican II, which was not accepted by everyone, there was more of an emphasis on personal responsibility regarding faith. A fond memory is in 7th or 8th grade, our teacher who was a sister brought in albums of the rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Weber, “ Jesus Christ Superstar” which would have just come out. The new mission statement of the Diocese of Grand Rapids Catholic Schools: “ We prepare students to seek and fulfill God’s plan for learning and life.”