BY CAROL BAASS SOWA
TODAY’S CATHOLIC

SAN ANTONIO • It’s a toss-up as to who is more excited — the four young teachers coming to teach at San Antonio Catholic schools through the University of Dayton’s (UD) Lalanne Program or the principals of the schools who are just as eager to welcome them aboard.

The University of Dayton, one of the top 10 Catholic schools in the nation, has expanded its Lalanne Program to San Antonio this year and all involved couldn’t be happier.

Named for Marianist educator Jean Baptiste Lalanne, one of the Society of Mary’s original seven members, the program offers a select group of qualified college graduates the opportunity to earn their master’s degrees in education while committing to teach for two years in an assigned Catholic school. Starting off new Catholic school teachers on a strong footing, the program has proven to increase teacher retention.

Schools in the Archdiocese of San Antonio who will be blessed with Lalanne teachers this fall are St. Leo the Great School, St. Mary Magdalen School and St. Gerard Catholic High School.

Anita Lukey of Cincinnati, a recent UD graduate, is one of two teachers assigned to St. Leo the Great. Graduating with two degrees, one in foreign language education and one in Spanish, she took extra classes on weekends to earn certification to teach religion as well.

Earlier this summer she gained additional teaching experience in Guatemala where, as a volunteer, she taught English as a second language and worked at a day care center. It will be her first time in San Antonio, her only previous taste of Texas being on a flight lay-over. “I love Central America,” she says, “and I am so excited to go to Texas to experience Hispanic culture.”

Lalanne teachers are sent where they are needed, but can rank the cities in the program in their order of preference. The cities include Dayton and Cleveland, Ohio; Detroit, Mich.; Indianapolis, Ind. — and now, San Antonio. Lukey was elated to receive her “first choice” city, San Antonio, along with the grade level she was hoping for — middle school. She will be teaching Spanish, English, language arts and religion at St. Leo’s.

“This is an opportunity of a lifetime,” says Lukey, who knew from her freshman year at UD that she wanted to participate in the Lalanne program. “I’m young and I want to experience different cultures — not just seeing or hearing about it, but actually experiencing it.”

She praises Lalanne’s excellent support system for its teachers. They live together in provided housing during the school year, developing both professionally and spiritually, and build community through mutual support. They additionally receive mentoring in their schools.

Lukey points out the benefit of rooming with others on the same spiritual wave-length, having had roommates in the past who did not attend church. “We have to pray,” she says of the Lalanne teaching group, who go on two retreats together during the year. “We have to eat meals together — not all the time, but we have to have a set time.”

The four San Antonio-bound teachers got to know each other this summer at UD in graduate classes, as part of the program, and will spend the next two summers studying there as well to complete their graduate studies.

Emily Wagner, also a Cincinnati native and recent UD grad, is the other Lalanne teacher assigned to St. Leo the Great, where she will be teaching second grade. Holding a special needs pre-K endorsement, her area of study was Early Childhood Education and she participated in UD’s Urban Teacher Academy program, gaining experience in Dayton’s inner city public schools.

She also knew about the Lalanne Program from the time she entered the university, as a close friend had just completed the program. “So it was always in the back of my mind,” she says. After looking over similar programs elsewhere, she was even more convinced that the Lalanne Program was where she needed to be.

“I definitely have high hopes and I’m definitely looking forward to it,” she says of her teaching assignment at St. Leo’s. It will be her first time in San Antonio, her second visit to Texas. “I’m so excited I cannot wait!” she beams.

She expects there will be lots of ups and downs along the way, but is thrilled to be teaching second grade and preparing her students for two sacraments. “I definitely think it will be an adventure,” she adds.

Casey Hart hails from the Chicago suburb of Naperville and is a graduate of Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis. Following her graduation there in 2006, she spent a year in the United Kingdom working on a master’s in Medieval History.

She had originally explored other teacher programs — LANCE at Christian Brothers University in Memphis and ACE at Notre Dame, but neither was able to find placement for her. However, they thought so highly of her they recommended her to Lalanne. “So it was like God came and was steering me here,” she said, “but in a little bit more of a roundabout way.”

Assigned to St. Gerard Catholic High School, Hart will be teaching a subject she loves — history — to 10th and 11th grade U.S. and World History classes. “History is just this wonderful gateway to connect with people,” she says, her voice bubbling with enthusiasm. “And I’m so excited to get to talk to all my students about history and hopefully get them excited about history too!”

New to San Antonio, she has been boning up on its history this summer and is already prepared to fall in love with her new hometown, as a professor of hers at Carthage was from the Alamo City and, says Hart, “glows when she talks about it.”

This will be her first full-time teaching position, having previously taught religious education on the elementary level and tutored on the high school and college levels. “I’m really excited,” she says. “Everybody is so welcoming. I think it will be a great experience and I’m really looking forward to meeting everybody in San Antonio.”

Gabriela Estrada of Lubbock will be the one Lalanne teacher not new to San Antonio, having graduated in May from St. Mary’s University’s Interdisciplinary Reading Program (their education major) with certification for early childhood through fourth grade. She learned of the Lalanne Program at St. Mary’s, which, like UD is a Marianist university.

“Through the volunteer work I had done through St. Mary’s, I fell in love with the San Antonio community,” she says, “and thought I should stay and continue to help the community.” Needless to say, she was delighted when she received the hoped for San Antonio assignment from Lalanne. She will be teaching kindergarten at St. Mary Magdalen.

“I’m excited and nervous all at the same time,” she says. “I can’t wait to teach kindergarten!” She will have a Lalanne mentor to turn to though, she adds, so is not too worried. “There’s somebody who’ll be constantly checking how we’re doing, how we’re surviving, if we need anything,” she relates. “Support is really good.”

 “It’s a great experience,” she adds. “I’m getting my education while I’m giving back to the community.”

The school principals are equally thrilled to be receiving the four new teachers. “I’m excited about it,” said Principal Carol Johnson of St. Leo the Great, who will be adding two Lalanne teachers to her staff — Anita Lukey and Emily Wagner. “I think it’s great to bring in people from outside of San Antonio. They will bring a new perspective for students; they will bring new ideas from the university.”

At St. Leo, they will be mentored by master teacher, Vice Principal Margaret Benjamin. “She will be training them in how things are done here at St. Leo’s,” says Johnson, “but also in terms of how to be a master teacher themselves.”

She adds that of key importance to her in the type of teachers she was interested in receiving through Lalanne was their strong faith foundation. “That is crucial,” she says, “because of that walk with Jesus as the Master Teacher, they will make it. They will learn and they will grow. They will become all they can be, walking with him.”

Principal Andrea Johnson of St. Gerard Catholic High School, where Casey Hart will teach, is looking forward to her new teacher bringing in “fresh, new ideas” and sharing her talents, while adding further diversity to the school’s staff.

“It’s going to be really busy for her,” she says, referring to the start of school as being a “whirlwind” of activities, with numerous in-services, workshops and other preparations. She notes though that St. Gerard will be offering Hart all the support they can. “I’m sure that my staff will not let her fail,” she adds.

St. Mary Magdalen principal, José Muñiz, says he and his staff will be extending a special welcome to Gabriela Estrada, their new kindergarten teacher. “This is the first time our school enters into an agreement where a qualified teacher working on their master degree in education is hired as a full time teacher,” he said. “We look forward to a great and long-lasting relationship with the University of Dayton.”

Caption: Gabriela Estrada, Anita Lukey, Casey Hart and Emily Wagner, participants in the University of Dayton’s Lalanne Program for teachers, look forward to an exciting year teaching in three Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of San Antonio.