Looking Forward in Reverse

Dear Friends,

I am often asked “Dr. Fike, why should I send my child to DeSales and have to pay tuition when I can send my child to public schools for free?” This is a question that I both dread and look forward to at the same time. I dread it because it forces me to “brag” about the incredible accomplishments that our students realize on a daily basis, but I look forward to it for the very same reasons and today, of all days, it seems apropos to speak about the value and beauty of a DeSales education. However, not as you might expect, with me going on about the variety and depth of offerings at DeSales, but, as the song goes, “looking forward in reverse.”

Now, you may ask why today, well, that is the easy part. This evening we celebrate the induction of our second class into the DeSales Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame at the Classics V. The Hall of Fame inductees embody the teachings of the school's patron, St. Francis de Sales, as they excel in their professional, volunteer and family lives. Bearing the motto "enshrining our past, ensuring our future," induction into the Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame serves as the highest honor bestowed by Desales Catholic School. This year’s inductees, Mary Carol (Bracken) Marotta - St. Joseph's Academy, 1950, the late Sr. Mary Loretto (Loretta Hamm) - St. Joseph's Academy, 1926, David R. Kinyon - DeSales High School, 1968, William A. Kirsch - DeSales High School, 1950 and, inducted together, the late Jim and Jack Mullane - DeSales High School, 1950, represent some of the very best of what a DeSales education can lead to.

As the principal here at DeSales, but more importantly as the parent of a current student and alum, I want to know that the education that my children and yours are receiving is going to prepare them for: Are we laying a solid foundation for their future? I know that the answer is yes because all I have to do is look at what has been accomplished by the 2014 DeSales Distinguished Hall of Fame Class to know that yes, DeSales is the Start of Something Great.

God Bless You All.

In His Name,
Scott