By Sam Libretti, Special to the Catholic Herald

ST. FRANCIS — A Catholic high school education will help instill the ideals of Christ for a lifetime, educational consultant John Findlater said Oct. 30.

Findlater’s talk, entitled “Catholic High Schools: A Gift for a Lifetime,” stressed that parents and teachers must work together to make sure children become successful Catholic adults. “When a strong Christian home unites with a strong Catholic school, there’s almost no way that kids can lose,” Findlater told a crowd of about 50 at the Cousins Center made up mostly of parents of grade-school age children. “If you try to do it all by yourself, and if we in the schools try to do it by ourselves, it’s not going to be nearly as effective,” he added.

Through a series of oftentimes humorous anecdotes from his 25 years in the Catholic school system as a teacher and an administrator, Findlater showed how Catholic high schools can enrich a young person’s life, and help steer them in a spiritual direction. “We must keep the most important thing the most important thing,” Findlater said, adding, “and Christ is the most important thing.”

Financial concerns are often key among parents when deciding between a Catholic school and a public school. As the high school years approach, parents begin to save for college. So, why spend added dollars on a Catholic high school education? To that, Findlater noted most colleges offer a wide array of scholarships and other financial aid opportunities, and an education in a Catholic high school is a priceless means of learning lessons that go far beyond chemistry and geometry.

“Kids need to be exposed to religious activities and teachings in order to lead tomorrow,” Findlater said. “When they leave a Catholic high school and enter into a public university, they should stick out like sore thumbs, with the fire of the Gospel in their hearts, ready to change the world.”

Findlater, whose sister is principal of a public school in Florida, pointed out many public schools desire teachers who are in the Catholic school system. He used himself as an example of why there is more to being a teacher in a Catholic school than teaching literature or calculus.

“I’m still up to my ears in Catholic schools because I have faith in our teachers, our parents, and our children,” he said, “Kids, in school, need to hear the words of the Gospel. Any school can teach you social studies. We do more than that. We make your children think about their lives, to develop a relationship with their lives based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.”

Findlater stressed that the decision of what high school to attend is one of the last big decisions a parent will make for his or her child. “Don’t give this up. You still have the ability to influence your child in a spiritual way,” he said, noting that during an average school year, a child will spend more hours in the classroom with the teacher than at home with the parent. Therefore it’s important for parents to know that while their children are in school they are getting both a good education and an enrichment of their spiritual selves, he said.

Findlater reminded parents to be role models for their children, even if it makes them the enemies of their children. “Parents, I say to you: if your children do not actively dislike you 25 percent of the time, then something is wrong,” Findlater said to a chorus of laughs.

Findlater closed by stressing the partnership concept between a Catholic high school and the home: “I believe that you, as I, want to see children in an environment of school that replicates and supports the values and virtues of your own home.”

“He articulated very well why a Catholic high school is important,” said Colleen Mas, the mother of a second grader who attended the presentation to get a jump on things as she plans for her son’s future. “He gave great real-life experiences and touched on very important issues that parents should be thinking about.”

Findlater provides educational workshops throughout the country. He has been a teacher and administrator in Catholic schools in and around his hometown of Detroit. During that time, he founded a new inner-city Catholic school in Detroit, the Martyrs of Uganda Catholic Academy, which accommodates students from preschool through the 12th grade.

Findlater completed his undergraduate study at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Mich., and his graduate study at the Catholic School Leadership Program of Boston College.