A winning game plan for Trinity Catholic
I am like many of you who have written letters and made comments about Trinity Catholic, who bleed green and gold and have a great love for this school.
My son, Matt, is a 1988 graduate, and I was fortunate enough to serve as a football coach at Stamford Catholic High School. I saw the heart these kids brought to every game and to their lives. I know what the school has meant to generations of people like me in Stamford.
That’s why I’m upset to read some of the negative talk, including criticism of our bishop who has done so much to keep the doors open.
Last June when Bishop Frank J. Caggiano announced that 2018 would not be the last graduating class at Trinity, there was much joy and celebration. Many of us have been working to hold onto that feeling and do the right thing for the kids and their families.
The bishop and the superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Bridgeport, Dr. Steve Cheeseman, laid out a path for success that will not only keep the doors open but also provide the best in education. It calls for much needed change because today’s students are different and have many new learning opportunities.
Maybe what people who are critical of the plan don’t know is that the bishop has invested more than $4 million in upgrading the campus, and another $1 million into operations this year. As a committee member, I know he hasn’t done that for any other school in the diocese.
As someone who has had the privilege of getting to know the bishop, I can tell you that no one is smarter, works harder and is more dedicated to our young people. He has done more than anyone to help Trinity Catholic grow and attract new students.
The bishop has told me and all who will listen that it is important the Trinity Catholic survive and thrive, and give young people the same option for Catholic education that Trinity alumni enjoyed. Unfortunately, those who stick to things the way they were and don’t accept change end up killing what they say they love and standing in the way of the future.
Sister Judith, the much beloved former principal of Stamford Catholic, wrote this in the yearbook when she was administrator. It’s as true today as it was in her time.
“Stamford Catholic High School is as proud of the student of today as of the graduate of yesterday. Having completed our first quarter century we look forward to coming years and hope that the continuing influx of dedicated and motivated students are capable of absorbing and expanding the winning spirit
The bishop has told me and all who will listen that it is important the Trinity Catholic survive and thrive, and give young people the same option for Catholic education that Trinity alumni enjoyed. Unfortunately, those who stick to things the way they were and don’t accept change end up killing what they say they love and standing in the way of the future.
which tradition maintains is a Stamford Catholic High School trademark.”
Sister Judith believed Trinity Catholic and its students are a winning combination for the future. Now is the time for all of us to get on the same team. Alumni can help by making a gift to the many scholarship funds that help students afford Trinity. They can send their children and grandchildren. They can be positive and help to give the kids the same chance we had — so they can have their own memories.
The bishop is working hard to ask many people to invest in our kids. The least we can do is talk it up. One thing we all agree on it that the school has been a good thing in the lives of so many people We all have the obligation to pass that on by being positive and giving our kids the same chance to learn and grow and Trinity Catholic way and build their own memories.