Ben Ketchum, 1997 Notre Dame alumnus and graduate of theAlliancefor Catholic Education (ACE) program, was among the teachers, parents and administrators meeting with President Bush at the White House last Friday to discuss the benefits of Catholic schools to the nation and to advocate for more publicly funded access to them.
Ketchum was graduated from ACE in 1999 and is now assistant principal atSt. Anns Academy inWashington,D.C.He also participates in the ACE Leadership program, which trains teachers interested in administration of Catholic schools.He spoke with the president about the benefits students atSt. Anns had received from the Opportunity Scholarship Program, a federally funded initiative in theWashingtonarea.
Founded in 1994 by Rev. Timothy R. Scully, C.S.C., and Rev. Sean McGraw, C.S.C., the ACE program provides college graduates an opportunity to earn master of education degrees while serving as teachers in understaffed Catholic schools nationwide.
In exchange for a modest stipend and a tuition-free graduate program, ACE participants make a two-year commitment to teach in these schools.
More than 85 recent college graduates from a wide variety of educational disciplines enter ACE each year.They take courses and participate in teacher training projects at Notre Dame during their two summers in the program and are assigned to full-time teaching positions at schools in some 30 cities in 14 states during the school year.After two years, the students graduate with a master of education degree and 75 percent, like Ketchum, elect to stay in education.
_ Contact: Rev. Ronald Nuzzi at 574-286-4341 or Nuzzi.1@nd.edu
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