Cathedral Preparatory School - Literulae Yearbook (Erie, PA)

Page 16 text:

Administration: New X in---f Rev. William E. Biebel, M.A. Through the years of its development Cathedral Prep has successfully prepared its students for col- lege. Much of this success can be attributed to Prepls traditional program of studies. The man be- hind this success was Father Biebel who helped introduce new, innovative programs. ln his tenure at Prep Father Biebel spent count- less hours facilitating the students' admission to colleges across the country. last fall Father Biebel participated in a curriculum enhancement program at Notre Dame University. At this gathering he had the opportunity to evaluate Prep's academic pro- gram by comparing it with other schools across the nation. The conclusion, which came as no surprise, was that Prep has a national ranking for academic excellence in the Catholic school system. With the combination of an advanced curriculum, strict disci- pline, and personable guidance, Father Biebel's efforts proved to be the driving force behind Prep's academic success. Another point Father Biebel stressed was the return tothe basics. This approach included more emphasis on verbal and mathematical skills and the introduction af three-year language courses. This concentration an the basics grew out of Father's recognition ofa new policy among administrators of higher education- that colleges have become more conservative about the students they accept. Because of their more rigid admissions policy, Fa- ther Biebel has devoted much of his time helping students to meet the challenge. l? Q-- Gi Rev. Raymond W. Hahn, M. Div. As Director of Discipline, Father Hahn attempted to adapt F'rep's disciplinary code to meet current needs. For example, many of the offenses which were in the old Student Handbook have been ei- ther updated or removed. There has also been an addition ofa few new rules. For the sake of conve- nience and economy, the traditional book format was discontinued and the current regulations were printed on attractive orange and black folders which were distributed at the opening of school. Father Hahn also introduced a new scoring ma- chine which permits teachers to have more vari- ation in the tests they give. On previous machines all tests had to be multiple choice. Now teachers can give a variety of tests, and the computerized machine will correct them accurately. Besides cor- recting tests, this machine also gives the average score and identifies the questions most frequently missed. ln addition to these benefits, Father f-lahn said it will save time for the teachers and can be used for other functions such as counting ballots for student government elections. Father Hahn's time was also spent meeting other responsibilities. f-le has given a great deal of atten- tion to the debate team which has travelled to Philadelphia, New York City, Chicago, and Atlanta. He also was in charge ofthe cheerleading squad which has put on many humorous skits at the school rallies. As a teacher of sociology and Chair- man of the History Department, Father had more than his share of academic demands. Innovations if Rev. Mark A. Nowak, S.T.M. With the addition of the computer lab to Prep's facilities, many changes were precipitated to ac- commodate this program. One change, in particu- lar, was the Guidance Office. Father Nowak, the Director of Guidance, said that moving the Guid- ance Office to its present location coincided with the addition of new programs and facilities to help not only upperclassmen but also underclassmen. These expanded services were due, in part, to the hiring of Mrs. Ann Cuzzola as the counselor at the Guidance Annex and the enlisting of Father Staszewski's help in the Guidance Office. With their concerted efforts Father Nowak was able to contact all of the members ofthe Senior Class quite early in the school year and assist them in their choice of colleges or careers. Father Nowak also launched a program to assist the underclassmen in career planning. The first step of this program was to determine which career fields interested the underclassmen. Once this was determined, the guidance staff gathered as much information as possible about these fields and made it accessible to the students. The Guidance Office also received a new video program called the learning Resource Network. These audio-visual tapes introduced the viewer to such universities as Indiana University of Pennsylva- nia and the University of Pittsburgh. Father Nowak stated that these new programs have helped signifi- cantly in the running of the Guidance Office during the past year.

Page 15 text:

Headmaster Leads Prep vf 1'b, -t Reverend John M. Dollinger - MA., University ol Notre Dame ln these pressing times ol economic hardship, Father Dollinger tried to alleviate some ol these burdens through the creation ol an Advisory Board. The goal ol this board was to evaluate where Prep was at and with this knowledge to plan and pro' mote the path Prep will take to continue its commit, ment to academic excellence. The additional chal- lenge to the longvrange planning was, ol course, the wish to make this education altordable to all. Father Dollinger and the board lirst evaluated the condition ol Prep both academically and linan- cially. The panel found that Prep was still very academically oriented and that educational oppor' tunities kept pace with the advanced technologies ol the time. Prep's physical structure along with its upkeep was another asset that the board recog- 24:42 nized. The beautification awards given to the school by the city ol Erie attested to this tact. But although Prep met its academic commitments admirably and maintained its physical impressive ness, these accomplishments were realized only with great ellort and sacritice. Since its inception. Prep has struggled linancially to facilitate the stu- dents' receiving a quality education, The necessary lunds had not been easy to lind, This lack ol funds stemmed, in part, from the ignorance ol the public regarding the source ol Preps revenues. Too olten when people thought ol Prep, they reminisced back to the days when it cost eighty to ninety dollars to send a student there. But that was only part ot the picture, Not many realized that the parishes paid a portion ol the tuition So, in actuality it did cost IDU' rg uc more to send a s',.gle 'Q Pfec - inllationary days. ln addition. there had ceeh Preps lacultv In 's fc c consisted primari x o' c ea. . composition ot 'ac l 9 ce.: P-'V HPS WGN? NGN t N ' ' teachers on the 'ac academic starxzg s x Hat ng acrierea evaluating both the the Alter- ss-Y c .xx ccic perpetuaf on , aero 5 -' a men xxrslwta 'o Q 'e' Pwr' 5 -fCt'if0kP'l P: 'c' P: '11s 'rs sscmea as cts' As Prep s Headmaster ' W'

Page 17 text:

Hai f ' 'V gf W Father Hohn leads 1 Y ' -M, X L . . -K L ,, ,f W- , 0, . .. ,vo Mn- --- 1 , , A , .L 1. A Looking of life In one of his frequent Efrf 9