The Student Newspaper of Cathedral Catholic High School

Dons Press

The Student Newspaper of Cathedral Catholic High School

Dons Press

The Student Newspaper of Cathedral Catholic High School

Dons Press

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WCEA and WASC visit Cathedral campus

WCEA and WASC visit Cathedral campus

The newly painted Alumni Room, with paint fumes lingering about and fans blowing full blast, was recently redone as a meeting place for the visiting members of the WCEA and the WASC associations that arrive on Monday, the 17th of March.

The WCEA (Western Catholic Education Association) is an accrediting agency established under the Bishops of the Catholic (Arch) Dioceses of California. Additionally, WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges), one of the six official academic institutions that accredit public and private schools, will co-accredit Cathedral. Visiting teams from both associations will be staying through Wednesday.

CCHS has prepared for the accreditation by writing a fifty-eight page self-study: a reflection of how well the school is achieving its mission and the expected school wide learning outcomes (ESRLs) set for the community. The visiting members, who are teachers and administrators from other Catholic schools in California, will not be evaluating or judging Cathedral. Rather, they are simply surveying it via discussions with teachers, staff, administration, parents, and, most importantly, students, so as to verify the self-study. After doing so, they will acknowledge the “action plans” set by the school, which were designed as guidelines to be followed in upcoming years, and offer suggestions.

Formed in order to plan how to improve Cathedral’s continually evolving campus, the action plans encompass everything from the seven-period schedule to new courses. The action plans work with four areas of the school: Curriculum and Instruction; Organization for Student Learning; Student Support for Academic, Personal, and Spiritual Growth; and Resource Management and Development.

English department chair and leader of the Curriculum and Instruction group, Mr. Jeff McMurtry, said that the highest concern the school has is to “take the steps required to improve ourselves continuously to better achieve our mission as a Catholic learning community.” The action plans will be the guiding “steps” to help Cathedral achieve its goals.

Being accredited by WCEA/WASC, third party institutions, will give CCHS further recognition as a valid educational facility, especially by colleges and universities.

As Mr. McMurtry said, “…we value this service highly. It is very affirming to know we have done so much, and we often learn a great deal from the visiting team’s diversity and wide experience.”

Freshman class moderator and leader of the Resource Management and Development team–one of the four action plan groups– Mr. Chad Colden added that “it’s really all for the students.”

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WCEA and WASC visit Cathedral campus