Schools confront terror

The horrifying news that the World Trade Center and Pentagon had been attacked, and that another plane had been hijacked and crashed in Pennsylvania sent diocesan prevention services staff out to make rounds of the schools, checking on how they were dealing with the tragedy.

"I was in six schools yesterday," said Edith Toohey, assistant superintendent for instructional services for the diocesan Catholic School Office, in a Sept. 13 interview. "I was very pleased with how the principals dealt with the matter in the schools. They minimized the amount of time the kids watched [news coverage] on TV; they talked about it; they immediately went to some prayer-type of activity."

Prayer

The next morning, CCHS posted an administrator at each of the school's entrances to greet students as they arrived and help them feel safe.

"One of the schools had drawn a picture of a dove and given one to each child, so they could write a prayer on it," Ms. Toohey added. "They're going to post them throughout the school."

Troubling time

"Some of the teachers are struggling," she said. "One school has three very young teachers who seem to be obsessing over this." During the interview, she was waiting for a call from that school about helping the teachers.

In all, said Ms. Toohey, the Catholic schools of the Diocese "have done a wonderful job of making the kids feel safe" during one of the most terrifying times in American history.

(09-20-01) [[In-content Ad]]