Andrean High School - Decussata Yearbook (Merrillville, IN)

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6 — Introduction

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. . . and Now Since its opening, Andrean has had twenty-two graduating classes pass through its halls. Established by Bishop Andrew G. Grutka in 1959, Andrean to- day is a co-educational Catholic high school. Andrean has gradually changed from co-institutional to co-educational. A co- ed institution is one in which classes have both male and female students in integrated classes taught by a single faculty. Andrean has one principal, Father Whitley, and two assistant prin- cipals, Father Kauffman and Sister Christopher, just as it did at its opening. The Basilian Fathers of Toronto, Canada, and the Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius, of Danville, Penn- sylvania, now work as a unit, along with lay teachers, to instruct the entire An- drean student body. Although most of its classes are still college preparatory, Andrean has ex- panded its curriculum to meet the needs of students with a broader range of in- terests and needs. For example Andrean has a strong foreign language depart- ment, offering classes in French, Ger- man, Latin and Spanish. No other area high school has so many of its students enrolled in foreign language classes. Spiritual learning has always been em- phasized. Theology classes, daily Mass in the chapel, penance services, and yearly retreats are some of the many oppor- tunities still offered at Andrean. Andrean’s founder Bishop Grutka sums up the spirit of Andrean when he says, “You know what the joy of win- ning is like in competition with other schools. Well, 1 would like to see the joy extended some, too, to winning the greatest prize of all, a place in heaven. Also I would like to see the Andrean students inspiring other students to recognize God in each other and, as a result, bring triumphs that will last forever.” Introduction — 5

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Upstairs in what was once the exclusive province of males, we pass the chemistry room and marvel that, despite a quarter of a century of beginners’ mistakes and labs gone wrong, no one has ever blown it up. How many of today’s important scientists have mixed their first chemicals or performed their first ex- periments here? Downstairs again, in the holy stillness of the chapel, we say a prayer for those who have prayed here before us, and think about the many, many prayers Andrean’s athletic teams have offered here, and the daily Masses of Basilian Fathers. The walls of the empty cafeteria still echo with applause for twenty five years of inept tray droppers, and we wonder why, after many years of integration, boys and girls still gravitate to opposite sides of the room. And how many literary masterpieces, we wonder, were born here in our library, before first hour? Introduction — 7