Balancing Beliefs

CB is a Catholic school dedicated to education. But what happens when 30% of your students aren’t Catholic? How do you decide what to teach and how to teach it?

Religion teacher Mr. Paul Havey (’81) claims it isn’t as hard as it seems.

“To be honest, there are some kids that have come from [religious] schools that don’t have the necessary knowledge of religion, and they could use a refresher,” he says. “It’s really not that difficult to find a balance.”

Although the religion teachers of CB think the religion curriculum is balanced, not all students agree.

“It’s just a little boring sometimes,” says Emma Mathison (’18), “I mean, it’s almost like a free period. I’m basically just repeating what I already know.”

Some students find it difficult to be challenged in a class where they already know much of the curriculum. Marliss Neal (’18), who attended a Catholic elementary school, believes your experience depends on which teacher you have.

“Honestly, it’s different depending on the teacher you have and what grade you’re in. Obviously the upperclassmen are going to be in classes that are a little more difficult and certain teachers will challenge you more than others.”

Overall, the students of CB seem content with their religion classes. But what about the possibility of more religious electives or new classes?

“There is conversation of a possible bioethics class, kind of like a morality class,” says Mr. Havey, “There are also some other possible social justice classes with a requirement for service, to really emphasize our Lasallian dedication to service.”

Although CB students still have to take basic religion, there are soon hopefully going to be options for students  to take more classes that would be more interesting for them. Overall, students are comfortable with their current religion classes, but there is a general consensus that CB is long overdue for some new and different classes.