It’s Back-to-School at our Basilian Schools

With the school year well under way, administration and faculty at our Basilian schools are bravely confronting the challenges presented by the ongoing pandemic by offering classes, celebrating the sacraments, and continuing extracurricular activities in athletics, music, and clubs.

Three schools, St. Michael’s College School, St. Thomas High School, and Detroit Catholic Central High School, are offering classes in a hybrid style meaning some students are at home and participating online, while other students are physically in the classroom and practicing social distancing while wearing masks. The teacher is tasked with teaching all the students, whether they are at home or in the classroom.

Le Collège Privé du Sacré-Cœur in Annonay, France is the only Basilian school offering in class instruction and all students attend five days a week, while strictly following the guidelines provided by the French government. Father Bernard Buisson, CSB has returned to the campus and is living comfortably in his new quarters, in the building that formerly served as a convent for the sisters.

Detroit Cristo Rey is not yet offering in-person classes and all classes are currently taught online. The school has made great strides in getting the necessary technology to students who need it and has created Wi-Fi hotspots in Detroit neighborhoods to ensure an adequate internet connection for all students. Read more about ‘School Year 2020-2021′ at Detroit Cristo Rey.

Detroit Cristo Rey teachers have networked to create the most effective teaching strategies for online learning. Additionally, the school is open for in-person tutoring and socially distanced study groups. Father José Del Toro, CSB has been at Cristo Rey for twelve years now and is simultaneously working on a Doctorate in Education at Madonna University in Livonia, Michigan.

Some schools have created interesting and effective videos to instruct students how to enter the school, and follow protocols during the day.

The video below by Detroit Catholic Central was so well received, that it has been viewed tens of thousands of times on Facebook and thousands of times on YouTube, and surrounding schools have adapted some of Catholic Central’s policies.

Under the outstanding leadership of Father Patrick Fulton, CSB, two opening school Masses were held safely outdoors, so that each student could attend one of the two Masses. Students wore the customary white shirt and tie for Mass, along with their masks, and were safely distanced from one another.

St. Thomas High School began the school year completely virtually, but has now transitioned to the hybrid method.

Watch Father Jim Murphy’s, CSB video message for the start of school

Dr. Aaron Dominguez, principal, shares St. Thomas High School’s plan for the return to school.

For further information, read ‘STH Return to Campus Plan 2020‘

St. Michael’s College School began its school year in September with many new health and safety measures in place. In this video Father Andrew Leung, CSB provides instructions on the new protocols.

The Basilian Network for Education and the New Evangelization (BNENE), established in 2015, brings together the Basilian school communities in a common mission of engaging in ongoing formation on the Basilian approach to Catholic education and to promote a Basilian education within their schools.