Carol Schuck Scheiber, of Toledo, is the publications editor for the National Religious Vocation Conference.Big Men on Campus
Alumni of University of Detroit Jesuit High spend a year helping their alma mater and pick up experience in the process
Andrew Hoff, who studied psychology and political science at the University of Michigan, is teaching both subjects during his volunteer year at the U of D High.
When Ignatius rallied like-minded men to form the Society of Jesus centuries ago in Europe, he relied on their enthusiasm and common spirit.
Fast forward a few centuries and move over to the United States to find that same enthusiasm and spirit alive among three men in their twenties. They are in the Alumni Volunteer Corps (AVC) at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy, grades 7 to 12.
The AVC, in its twelfth year, is a nine-month volunteer program that welcomes back U of D High's alumni to serve for a year. In return, volunteers receive mentoring, housing (rehabbed, by the way, by U of D High volunteers), medical insurance, and a small stipend.
Volunteers Patrick Clancy, John Cahalan, and Andrew Hoff would laugh if you compared them to Ignatius's early followers. They just know that they love their school. A lot. Enough to return and "give back" a year of service.
To be sure, the AVC has been a good deal for them. Having graduated from U of D High in '04 and having wrapped up college, they've managed a fairly soft landing on familiar territory. Because they have tailor-made jobs at a school they know and because housing is part of the deal, there's no need for them to figure out a bewildering new company culture or comb through newspaper listings to find a roach-free apartment in a far-away city. That soft landing also includes a meal once a week prepared by the Mothers' Club.
"It's been a great place as the first professional stop," says Clancy. "With the economy the way it is, there weren't many jobs right out of college for teachers. I knew if I came here I'd have the opportunity to be in the classroom and learn from some of the best teachers around . . . to hopefully make me a better teacher down the road. So that was one of the biggest reasons, to be in the classroom more, and to come back to the school I graduated from and give back a little bit. Plus my dad's a teacher here, and that was part of the influence, too—to be back with him and in my hometown area."
Cahalan is less certain he wants a career in education (he's headed to law school in the fall), but "this gave me a year to decide if teaching is for me."
He remembers AVC volunteers during his high school years, and the program never left his mind. "I loved the school as a student, so it's not a big surprise to be back here."
For Hoff, the AVC year is a buffer time between the intensity of the undergraduate experience and all-consuming studies that will envelope him if he is accepted into law school. Hoff had always wanted to do volunteer service after college. "The AVCs made a pretty significant impact on my time here; I talked to someone who did AVC last year, and he really liked it, so I said, ‘OK, I'll do it!' "
Take your pick
What exactly do they do? That's one of the great strengths of the program. Each of the men already knows the school and knows what he likes in and out of the classroom, so they simply worked with school administrators to choose assignments that line up with their interests and skills. Clancy has been teaching and team-teaching in his interest area of language arts. He also helps in the college counseling office since he's interested in school counseling. Cahalan has put his political science major to work team-teaching government, economics, and global markets.
John Cahalan studied political science at Marquette and helped teach economics and government at U of D High. He plans to study law next year.
Both men coached seventh-grade basketball, something Clancy counts among the peak experiences of the year. "To see them grow through the year . . . to go from fifteen individuals into a team made up of fifteen guys" has been a great experience, he relates.
Likewise, Hoff enjoyed coaching freshman football, not only because they had a winning season but because he got to witness the students' growth both athletically and socially. Hoff has used his AVC year to team-teach psychology and advanced placement government and to help in the campus ministry office.
Hoff points out that the onus is on the volunteers to make the most of their year-long experience. The school offers the chance to try out different professional niches, the Jesuit community offers daily Mass and the opportunity for spiritual counseling, and the abundant athletic and extracurricular life at U of D High offers the volunteers the chance to explore everything from hockey to hip hop.
"It's what you make of it," says Hoff.
In fact, the many offerings have created a year busier than Cahalan imagined. "I'm somewhat surprised at how busy we are. You can look up on a Sunday and realize, ‘I didn't do anything other than UD activities this entire weekend!'"
Passing it on
The concept of "men for others," central to the Jesuit mission, is a driving force behind AVC philosophy. The unique spirit and sense of community at U of D High resonated with Cahalan during his high school years, when he was influenced by the AVCs who taught him. Now, according to Cahalan, "being able to draw from my own experiences and truly help . . . these guys in something I had done myself" is one of the best parts of being an AVC.
The three volunteers for 2008–09 aren't public relations gurus, but they're completely at home detailing how to get the seventh graders to understand "men for others" or discussing the life-altering experience of a junior retreat.
"We pride ourselves on academics, but that's not all," says Cahalan.
Still, their sense of mission doesn't interfere with the volunteers' ability to be clear-eyed about the tricks teenagers try in schools. "Everyone is still trying to get away with the same stuff we did," laughs Hoff.
"You'll see them trying to eat in class, and they don't realize that we tried to do that too when we were students," adds Clancy.
Patrick Clancy, a Kalamazoo College graduate who studied English and secondary education, plans to continue teaching after his volunteer year at U of D High wraps up this May.
But even in those short four years, there have been identifiable changes. All three volunteers note that texting and cell phone use are much larger classroom problems than in 2004 when the three of them graduated.
If the AVC volunteers are looking for some collective wisdom about managing a classroom, they have fellow faculty to turn to, and they can gain some perspective from beyond the walls of U of D High by turning to the Jesuit community. Every Wednesday night, the AVCs are invited to eat with the nine Jesuits there.
"It's not what you think," says Clancy. "People think it's like being in a monastery and you can't talk at dinner. But it's not like that at all." Their Jesuit dinner companions are friendly and talkative, he says. "They've opened their arms full-fledged to us."
As the springtime marches on, the tune will soon be "Pomp and Circumstance," and the AVC volunteers will perhaps relive the poignancy of their own graduations.
"I've enjoyed this immensely so far," says Cahalan, two months before the seniors will walk across the stage. "I love being back here." And for a little longer he and his housemates can savor that.