The first thing that struck me about BC High was its size. It is a solidly built school, probably to withstand the weather, to keep the heat trapped inside its thick walls - it was cold outside and there were piles of snow.
Inside, it was warm, comfortable, secure - in every way. I felt welcomed and appreciated. It was quiet - partly because the walls were solid, the ceilings high. From the Principal, Mr Stephen Hughes to the delightful, wizened-faced Terry in the canteen - she was one of the keepers of the story, along with the Principal, whom she had known as a child when he attended the College - there was an obvious pride in the school and what they achieved there.
Benefactors make change possible …
It became clear to me that finding benefactors from among the alumni of the College was an important factor in the continuing development of the College. Here the role of the President is crucial. High schools like BC High rely on the generosity of benefactors. Whereas at Kolbe, capital development happens because Federal and State Government funding is made available through the Catholic Education Commission, at BC High the construction of new facilities and the refurbishment of older structures happens through the relationship the school has with individual donors.
Through the generosity of their donors, BC High placed a roof over the area between two multi-story wings of the College and created a huge indoor gathering space and cafeteria. I recall something similar being contemplated for Kolbe some years ago: the area between blocks 3 and 4 being covered to provide a gathering space for the school community, with a canteen, a cafeteria and a meeting space for students. I have seen a similar design in a school in Adelaide, but it lacked the feel of the setting in BC High. In the school in Adelaide, the lockers dominated the space. By this I mean they remain embedded in my memory, along with the grey walls and concrete. BC High will remain in my memory as a colourful space with the flags of many nations hanging from balconies – part of a United Nations experience organized by one teacher.
The Principal took me on a quick tour of classes to show me how BC's teachers integrate technology in the classroom. I visited an American literature class. The teacher had projected two pages of the novel on the Smart board using a state-of-the-art overhead projector connected to the smart board. The students had their own copies of the novel and the teacher taught his class seated at his desk at the front of the room.
We entered a history class. The students were looking at post-war Europe. The teacher had projected a map of Europe on the Smart board. He had also handed out copies of the map to students. Then by question and answer and also by way of instruction, he proceeded to analyze the map to draw out political themes and the lessons of history. He wrote on the whiteboard to help students with their note-taking. He was a dynamic teacher, but he later apologized for not being more engaging. Many of his students had iPads. The Principal focused his attention on one student and quietly instructed him on a more effective way of using the iPad.
Next, we visited a freshman Maths class. The teacher was sitting at the back of the room next to a student. All the students had the work in front of them on their iPads. The teacher's work was projected on the screen. She was using her iPad and Apple TV. The worksheet was made available to the students through Blackboard, a popular LMS in the US.
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