2 The Message -- for Catholics of Southwestern Indiana Decemberi
St. Wendel School newsletter helps people get acquai
By MARY ANN HUGHES
Message staff writer
School newsletters are usu-
ally chock-full of lots of infor-
mation; there are announce-
ments and school calendars
and menus for the parents to
read. But, svmetimes, it's fun
to read something light along
with all the information.
That's exactly what Ann
Friedman is providing this
year as she puts together her
school newsletter at St. Wen-
del School, St. Wendel.
In each issue of her newslet-
ter, the St. Wendel principal is
including biographical infor-
mation about her faculty and
staff.
She said the idea to intro-
duce the faculty and staff in
this way grew out of a School
Improvement Plan. There was
discussion about encouraging
the St. Wendel parishioners to
become better acquainted with
faculty and staff members, and
Friedman thought a good way
to do this would be to write
about each teacher in the
'school newsletter.
In her very first newsletter
this fall, Friedman introduced
herself. She explained that she
hails from a small farming
community of Glennonville,
Missouri, named after Cardi-
nal Glennon of St. Louis.
"We were one of those good
Catholic families of nine chil-
dren. I was the third oldest.
That should give you a clue as
to how I spent my spare time
as I was growing up.
"It wasn't until I left my
home town that I realized that
people went to school during
the month of October. We
never did. We attended school
during .the month of Septem-
ber, but took off the month of
October to pick cotton.
"Since everyone in the com-
munity grew cotton and that
needed to be picked by hand
(at that time), school was
closed until all the cotton was
picked. Then we continued
again where we left off.
"We picked from sunrise to
dusk each day excluding Sun-
day receiving 3.5 cents per
pound (on good days). Do you
know how much cotton it takes
to make a pound?
"I always competed to exceed
my previous amount and that
of a neighbor boy. I don't know
if I ever beat him or not, but
my highest amount was 214
pounds in one day."
In the newsletter, Friedman
wrote that she attended Do-
minican College in Racine,
Wisc., and then received her
master's degree in
from St. Mary's
San Antonio, Texas.
years, she wrote
were "probably
rewarding years
the sense that I
study just for
ing."
Friedman says the
ical information
has been well-received
St. Wendel
really are enjoying
said, noting that she is
such comments as
so little about one
and "How alike we
Panel looks at ways to curb
Saying thanks
Students at Christ the King School, Evansville, take time November 17 to say "thank
you" to their principal, Helene Hunter. Following an all-school Mass, students sang and
read poems written in Mrs. Hunter's honor. Father Robert Deig, pastor, then presented
MrL Hunter with a school bell
-- Message photo by Mary Ann Hughes
Robert and Margie Frank, grandparents of Roxie Frank, a fifth grader at St. Joseph
School, Vanderburgh County, pose with the fifth grade social studies class. The Franks
have traveled to 50 states, and they shared their experiences of their travels.
MUENSTERMAN'S
FIRESTONE
SERVICE, INC.
Evansville, IN
• FIRST FEDERAL
(812) 254-2641
SAVINGS BANK, FSB
200 E. Van Trees St., Wastington
500 Main St., Petersburg
violence in homes,
By MARK PATTISON
Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON (CNS) --
Guns, gangs and government
were three targets of a Dec. 3
teleconference on violence fea-
turing a blue-ribbon panel of
politicians, clergy and experts.
Playing the parts of con-
cerned citizens, the dozen pan-
eHsts were asked how they
would counter the violence in
fictional accounts of a hus-
band's increasing abuse of his
wife and the gang slaying of a
10-year-old boy for unknow-
ingly wearing a rival gang's
colors.
Panelists included former
congressman Jesuit Father
Robert Drinan, presi-
dential adviser George
Stephanopolous, Supreme
Court Justice Sandra Day
O'Connor, and Dolores Leckey,
executive director of the U.S.
bishops' Secretariat for Family,
Laity, Women and Youth.
Father Drinan drew ap-
plause from the audience at
the Washington National Epis-
copal Cathedral when he said,
"The churches have to do
something to get rid of the 70
million guns in this country."
Such levels of gun posses-
sion are found only in the
United States, he said, and
"not in any civilized country --
not England, not Canada or
Japan. The churches have to
crusade against guns."
Addressing the gang sce-
nario, Isaac Fulwood, Wash-
ington's retired police chief,
said it was not unusual for po-
lice to round up gang leaders
for a summit to cool down the
violence.
But that is only a temporary
measure, he said. "We have got
to reinvent the community,"
Fulwood added. Because there
is no structure in gang mem-
be.rs' own families, he said,
"gangs are their families."
Stephanopolous, assigned
the role of City Councilman
"Newt Stephanopolous" in one
role-playing exercise, said he
would say to citizens, "I'm
going to tell you something
you're not going to believe: I'm
from the government and I'm
here to help."
But he warned that govern-
ment would not be able to do
as much as citizens want it to
do because of budget cuts. "The
churches are going to have to
pick up the slack,"
Stephanopolous said.
if they don't do it
Fulwood criticized
of "three strikes and
out" proposals
a third-time
prison for life. !
Noting that his
was violently
said violent
consider the
their actions. "We
to the front end of
prevent these
pening," he said.
But Mrs. (
that judges
ability to "carry
tence that the
signed."
She added that the
should find it in theft
ened self-interest" to
poor in their
Mrs.
"should re
themselves
women and men
in spouse-abuse
She said the U.S.
pamphlet on domestic
"When I Preach ...
Me," is par
"Never un
power of the
Leckey said.
Father Drinan
bishops' new
on violence,
Culture of Violence: ',
Framework for
And United
Bishop Felton MaY
burg, Pa., lauded
1986 pastoral letter,
Justice for All."
Crediting the
"proactive, not
on issues, Bishop
these ideas were
there'd not only be
lence in the
less violence in
Moderator Tim
known as host of
the Press," said
"why a nice CathO
would spend his
ternoon here, at a
cathedral."
His answer: "I
my son. I hope
of the inspiratiori
panel, some other
boy will have the
love that my
that they hear
sounds of
than gunfire."
