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| January 31, 2008 Dr. Schenkenberg Principal St. Louis U. High I’d like to make a formal request for a semester of sabbatical study for the second semester of 2008-09 school year. I sent an earlier e-mail to Jim Linhares, my Department Chair, and have discussed this with him. I’ve also discussed this with Mark Michalski and Tom Becvar, and recently met with Dr. Schenkenberg for guidance and advice. I’d like to take a semester and center on a few things: 1. I want to visit other schools and listen to what the schools, and its teachers, do best. A) Travel to different Jesuit high schools and visit their Theology Departments. I’d like to find out their curriculum, what they think they do very well and what they believe are the most significant and successful practices in spiritual formation, inside or outside the classroom. I would build a web site that would offer all the basic information and what I discover about these issues in my visit. In October of 2007 I met with Art Zinselmeyer to see if this could be valuable to the Missouri Province and he thought it would be. I’ve begun a web site to record what I learn and make it available at <http://www.geocities.com/sluhtheo/jesuiths.html>. Many of the best things we do at SLUH we have gotten from other high schools: Kairos, Freshman Retreat, daily examen of consciousness. These were brought from other schools. I’d also like to find out how they use digital photography in their school. Is it just for yearbook and newspaper or is the use much broader? Do they make the photos available to the community, and, if so, how? Do they have their students sign releases for photo use? Is there a photography course? Might there be possibilities of which we are not aware? Trip One/Chicago: Loyola Academy and St. Ignatius, with a possible visit to Christo Rey. Trip Two/Ohio: St. Ignatius (Cleveland) and St. Xavier (Cincinnati), with a possible stop at St. John’s (Toledo) Trip Three/Missouri: DeSmet and Rockhurst 2. I’d like to travel to Rome and visit the Ignatian sites. It has got to be a wonderful opportunity for spiritual and intellectual growth for any Catholic to visit the Vatican. I’ve always wondered if it be possible to offer a Rome trip for SLUH students during the summer; this might be a chance to investigate this possibility. I have the opportunity to travel to Italy in March of 2009 with Fr. Sal Polizzi and Fr. Vince Bommarito, with my wife and the friends from the Hill with whom I grew up. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity us. 3. I’d like to learn more about photography by taking classes and workshops and by just taking photos. I am doing this now but class demands prohibit me from taking courses and workshops. This is also an aspect I’d investigate in my visits to other Jesuit schools. I’d find out about courses at area junior colleges and explore workshops in digital photography and use of computer to edit and store photographs. 4. I’d make a retreat at the Trappist Monastery in Gethsemese Kentucky, home of Thomas Merton. And perhaps, I’d travel to some colleges and meet with a professor who is known to be very good with freshmen. I’d like to sit in on his or her classes, observe how they teach and see the assignments they give and just talk teaching. I’d want to learn from college professors about what their college teaching. We are a college prep school, but is our idea of good college prep similar with what they expect? What are their best pedagogical practices? How do they hold their students accountable? How is technology used in their classes? I’d like to hear about what they hope their incoming freshmen bring to the course. I know I can do this at SLU. I’ve been in touch with Theology professors Dan Funicane and JJ Mueller, S.J. I’d also like to spend some time at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary. Thank you for giving SLUH faculty the opportunity for sabbatical. Matthew Sciuto Theology Department cc: Jim Linhares, Department Chair Mark Michalski, Assistant Principal Tom Becvar, Assistant Principal |