Neil McNeil High School Celebrates 50 Year

Fleming, Peter

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Spiritan Magazine Volume 32 Number 2 May Article 12 5-2008 We Look Back, We Also Look Ahead Peter Fleming Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/spiritan-tc Recommended Citation Fleming, P. (2008). We Look Back, We Also Look Ahead. Spiritan Magazine, 32 (2). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/spiritan-tc/vol32/iss2/12 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Spiritan Collection at Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Spiritan Magazine by an authorized editor of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. Ordained AlumniBishop John BoissoneauFr. Michael Brehl CssRFr. Keith CallaghanFr. Xavier DePintoFr. Fred FoleyFr. James HannahFr. Alex Kirsten SJFr. Gerry Legge Fr. Peter MacIsaac SJFr. Larry MarcilleFr. Tom MooreFr. David Nazar SJFr. John NewtonFr. Ted Smith18 May 2008 / SpiritanE very now and thenI take a few min-utes and delveinto one of the earlyyearbooks. Usually whatwas meant to be a “fewminutes glance “turnsinto a rather long andthorough look: “How he has changed.” “Iwonder where they are now,” “Did we dothat then?” “Didn’t he look young then!”The boys of then are now “generoussized” mature men who have long sinceshed the maroon and grey for three-piecesuits, designer jeans or whatever is currentfor men in their thirties, forties and fifties.Over the years the school has been inexistence, many great young men havegraced our halls and classrooms. The ma-roon and grey, albeit at times worn andtorn, has not disguised the quality and cal-iber of the people wearing it. At Neil, weare proud of our Neilers.We are proud too of our teachers, whocombine to have a great impact on thosethey teach. Their personal example, theirChristian witness embody a value system towhich we are publicly committed.Our secretaries bridge the gap betweenthe outside world and ourselves whileattending to the myriad administrationswhich are part of any school. Granted, our buildings, our plant andour facilities — often battle-worn andscarred — provoke, at times, commentsboth humorous and cynical. But our main-tenance staff makes them as presentable aspossible.“A healthy mind in a healthy body” is amatter of much concern. The healthy bodyis well catered for by our cafeteria staff whotries to satisfy their customers young andnot so young.Together we touch the lives of our stu-dents. Truly we can borrow the McLuhanmaxim, “the medium is the message” and★★★★★ FR. JOSEPH KELLY CSSpFr. Joe Kelly will be remembered by more alumni of Neil McNeil than any other former staff member. And without exception,these memories will be ones of affection and gratitude.Joe came to Neil as a teacher in the Business Department in 1968. In his thirty-two years on the staff he taught Religion andCommerce before becoming a full-time Guidance Counsellor and later head of that Department. He was closely associated withthe Parents’ Hockey Association which raised funds and provided support in the areas of management and coaching for theschool’s extensive hockey program.But it is not for any of these activities that the alumni will remember Joe. They will remember him for being a compassionateadult to whom any teenager in the throes of adolescent anguish could turn for sympathy and support. Joe’s shoulder was the onethey leaned on when parents “didn’t understand”, teachers were “picking on me,” girlfriends were “breaking my heart” and allrules and regulations were “oppressive” or “plain stupid.”Joe held their hands until in Grade 12 and 13 they found that life was good again, even Mr. Heron the Vice-Principal was nice,their new girlfriend was wonderful, and Neil was a good place to be. And, above all, their parents had finally changed for thebetter.We Look Back, We Also LookPeter Fleming CSSp (Principal 1980 – 1991)Died May 5, 2006, RIP Extracts from his Principal’s messagesF I D E L I T A S   John Popiel (1985)During high school I learned about whatwas happening in far off lands and theconflicts that were going on in the thirdworld and always wondered why therewas injustice in the world. I rememberFintan Kilbride telling us the story of hisinvolvement in the Biafra war in the1960s and specifically his plane crash.Andrew Cash (1981)As a school community we askedourselves questions about theworld’s inequalities and injustices.There was nothing dispassionateabout our discussions, whetherabout the bomb or the Church’swork in Central and South America.As young people we were beingchallenged to insert ourselves intothe world in a way that would servethe creation of the kingdom of Godon earth. This had a considerableeffect on me.Spiritan / May 2008 19acknowledge that we are all mediums for the gospel message.We learn from the past, but we cannot live in it. We build onthe strength generated by our predecessors and continue withthe same determination and commitment which has guidedour school this far. We look back. We also look ahead. Where will we stand on the value ofhuman life? Will there be a part for us to play in that debate? Theenvironmental issue will become more acute and even criticalfor the well-being of future generations. Where will we stand?Will we have compassion and care for the victims of AIDS,for the sick and infirm, the handicapped? Where will we be aspart of the global village which is becoming more and more aglobal economy? What part will we play in breaking down racialprejudices?Let us hope and pray that all of us will continue to meet thechanging challenges of the times. ■AheadI N   A R D U I S

We Look Back, We Also Look Ahead

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We Look Back, We Also Look Ahead

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