GICC Moments of Grace

At the opposite end of the school hallway, I spy his unmistakable silhouette against a flash of sunlight - the big solid frame, arms slightly akimbo. Howard Schumann Not for the first time do I choke down the lump in my throat. Howard Schumann is leaving us. After 45 years. After two generations of kids. After a lifetime of service to the school he loves. Shu seems to have come with the building, familiar as the worn tile in the lobby or the iconic circle drive. Mike Rohweder, our former student turned school business manager, swears to God he can still smell Mr. Kayl's popcorn every time he sees Shu surveying his kingdom from the doorway of the old gym - now officially renamed the Grand Island Central Catholic Howard Schumann Gymnasium. "They used to just call it the Old Gym," Howard laughs. "Now they'll call it the Old Howard Schumann Gym." I guess everybody figures if we name things after him, we don't really lose him. In fact, since he...

Dear Central Catholic Class of 2018, Look at you - all puffed up with pride and so happy to leave us. Somehow you've convinced yourselves that graduation day, with all its pomp and circumstance, is completely about you. And why? Because you're selfish and self-absorbed, that's why.  Here's a news flash: This day really belongs to your parents. Remember them? The people who gave you life and slung you over their shoulders all night when you were colicky and held your hand in the clinic that time you cracked your knee open? Graduation day, in fact, has virtually nothing to do with you. Class of 2018, Prom I repeat. It has nothing to do with you . Why did I even start this letter to a bunch of clueless kids? Never mind.  Go snap chat or tweet or hash tag or whatever it is you do as you constantly hover over your phones to ignore the adults in your lives. I'm writing to your parents instead. It's time they knew the truth. Sorry to tell you ...