Mooney’s Maj: Rethinking, Reimagining, Reconfiguring

Tom Maj, president of Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngstown, is coming back strong. To learn more about Cardinal Mooney High School, check out its website.

What are some ways your school is dealing with the effects of COVID-19?

As with all schools, we’re following the guidelines and requirements handed down from the state, Gov. DeWine and city/county health departments. Having returned to Ohio only four months ago, I’ve been reminded throughout the summer how fortunate we are to have government leaders who advocated for students to be in school, albeit safely. In addition to those policies, we planned for opening our physical buildings which required creating an environment that protected (as best we can) our faculty, staff and students. We have a daily sanitizing program in place, additional personal hygiene stations and masks. In addition, we are taking temperatures daily and have a full-time nurse on staff. 

As a Catholic institution, we planned for the traditional high school experience that values interaction between students and faculty, and which transports teaching and learning beyond a computer screen. In considering all potential consequences: student mental health, overall health and safety, their educational and faith development were primary. We brought in professionals from health and medical fields to guide in our decision-making. Though we opened in-person this week, we also provide online options for our international students and others who require it. Finally, we invested heavily in our technology infrastructure so if in the event we’re required to go remote, we’ll be ready to continue providing quality instruction. COVID-19 doesn’t absolve us of our responsibilities, it only forces us to rethink, reimagine and reconfigure how we deliver a Mooney education.

What’s been the reaction from students and parents so far?

Throughout the spring and summer, our students and parents supported our plans to reopen and encouraged our progress. Our parents have a “can-do” spirit and understand how important in-person education is for the development of their children. Students arrived last week for orientation and this week for the start of classes. They’re in good spirits, motivated to share in the responsibility to remain open, and are sensitive to protecting their immediate families and community.

What impact has the outbreak had on you personally?

Personally, COVID-19 has caused all administrators, faculty, staff and coaches to rethink how they deliver an academic program. As president, all responsibility flows to me: the buck stops here model. It’s my responsibility to put resources in the hands of faculty and staff to permit them to do their jobs. Current-state, that includes products and procedures for keeping everyone safe. The responsibility that goes with running a school makes every decision consequential, therefore I must include expertise from a broad range of disciplines to ensure we make the best decisions possible.

I recognize no one expects a “risk free” environment, yet they want some level of confidence I’ve considered input from a broad range of experts/disciplines. I would also add that leadership is about leading and as such, I couldn’t let today’s crisis of a global pandemic beget a crisis of confidence in our work, in our students or in our community. I can’t guarantee we won’t be required to go remote, however, I believe we had to try to open in-person. And we accomplished this due to the work of faculty, staff, coaches, parents, City Health, doctors, et al.

What advice are you sharing with the people you love?

Life is and has always been about trade-offs, with few promises. COVID-19 is unique to all of our experiences although respiratory viruses have been with us since climbing out of our primordial ooze. Have faith in our researchers and medical community to develop the best response we can. Trust that in how we organize ourselves, interdependence is a higher value than independence. As citizens and neighbors, we must be accountable to each other and do our part to mitigate the spread of the virus, to uplift our students, get parents back to work, care for our elderly and to ensure we fight inequities. Frankly, practice what Mooney teaches: love your neighbor; respect the dignity of all.