From the Principal's Desk 3.18

Dear Parents,
With the feast of Christmas so close, and the fact that this is the last From the Principal’s Desk for the year, I am going to deviate from my discussion of character traits and instead focus on the incarnation and why students of all ages should revel in the glory of Christmas.

There exists in all likelihood, no event in history, that has been written about, sung about and pondered more than Christmas.  It, the birth of a child, is the most human of miracles, the most easily imagined, and yet the most unfathomable, impossible, stupendous and thrilling event of all time.  The wonderful paradox of the infant God who holds the whole world, while being held; the word of God which made creation,  speechless as a newborn; the immensity of God all packed into 6 pounds (or less) of beauty, innocence and wonder  truly boggles the imagination.

As parents, we share in the wonder of our children. Certainly they are not divine, as Christ is, but they carry in themselves that divine spark as one of God’s children.   All children must be trained to achieve their potential, even Jesus had to be taught.  He spoke Aramaic, Hebrew and perhaps Latin because someone taught him, so if the perfect Man needed a teacher and a school, how much more do we?  (and thank you for using ours!)

I will finish my comments with the final verse of Hark the Herald.  It is seldom sung but contains in it so much of what the Nativity truly portends.

Come, Desire of nations, come,
fix in us thy humble home;
rise, the woman's conquering seed,
bruise in us the serpent's head;
Adams likeness now efface!
Stamp thine image in its place!
Second Adam from Above,
Reinstate us in thy  love.

Hark, the herald-angels sing
Glory to the new-born King!

Timothy Gallic
Principal
Holy Family High School

From the Principal's Desk 3.19

Dear Parents and Friends,

Can we ever truly be safe?  No.   That sad reality is ever more real to us as we contemplate the massacre of last week.  Sitting at my desk I look out across the parking lot and watch students being dropped off by parents, or driving themselves to school.  For 90 years they have walked into Holy Family thinking mostly of academics, relationships and faith,  concerned little with personal safety.   In reality we have a very safe school, a closed campus and front desk monitor who allows in, or doesn’t allow in visitors.  Our staff is well trained, we practice lock down drills, fire drills, and evacuation drills.   We have security cameras and a Police officer from Broomfield works with us in maintaining our security.  We even hire police officers for our dances and big events.

With all of that in place, we remain vulnerable.  We could go to the next step and have several of us trained to use firearms to defend us;  we could install hardened glass windows, or should we?

The reality is that the world is a safer place than it might appear.  There are thousands of schools and millions of students who go to and come home safely each day.  Violent crime has been steadily decreasing over the last several decades.  While we can never be completely safe, we should not live in fear.

Christ tells us., “Fear is useless, what is needed is faith.”  We must have faith in Christ, in His Church, and in His love for us.  

As we near the celebration of the incarnation,  let us recall that Jesus came as a defenseless baby in a very dangerous world.  His first playmates all died at Herod’s hand,  His earthly father, Joseph, died, he had no brothers or sisters.  He traveled to Egypt as a little child and returned as a young man.  All around him people were being attacked by robbers, dying of disease, or being seriously hurt.  And after healing and teaching,  he was put to death.   If God can make that sad tale the most glorious story ever told,  imagine what He could do for us.  If we let Him.

So safe or not,  “I fear no evil, for You are at my side.” (Psalm 23)

Happy Advent,  Merry Christmas! 

Duc in Altum!

Timothy Gallic

From the Principal's Desk 3.17

Trait of the Week: COURAGE

 Dear Parents and Friends,

Courage, the trait the cowardly Lion thought he lacked, transforms.  It changes the weak timorous soul into a brave, powerful hero.  It does not add strength, wisdom or cunning; the courageous soul changes not in physical qualities they change personal qualities.  It overcomes fear, irrational and rational, it does not ignore fear; it masters fear.  Courage makes us bold, it allows us to see what must be done, and do it. 

Daily we receive the call to be courageous; normally the call is small in nature. We must get out of bed, face the troubles of the day; deal with our homework (or lack thereof), prepare for exams, make our lunch, talk to our siblings, (in an appropriate manner) and who knows what else.  Though small in nature these tasks loom large in significance.  Precisely by small acts do we prepare for the large ones.  I will never be able to die for Christ, if I cannot live for him.  If I cannot love  my critics how  will  I ever love my God.   (1 John 4:20)


We all want our children to be heroes.  To be selfless and laudable, to live lives of significance and if needed, not hesitate to give of your life for another, in a word, to be courageous.


Timothy Gallic
Principal
Holy Family High School
303-410-1411

From the Principal's Desk 3.16

Trait of the Week: RESPONSIBILITY

Dear Friends,

In this day and age, when fault seems to lie with others and solutions always start with someone else, perhaps it is time to think about the character trait of Responsibility.  

When we are born our ability to live rests solely on the shoulders of others. As we grow and develop this shifts to our own shoulders.  As parents we eagerly teach our children how to walk, talk, tie shoes, ride bikes, clean up their rooms, do chores and (my favorite) mow lawns.  We want them to take ownership of their work, so we hang up the artwork they make, and we encourage them when they accomplish a task.  Eventually there comes a day where not all the results are fantastic, the room wasn’t cleaned, the grass is uncut, and perhaps the schoolwork wasn’t that great.   While accepting that the results are their own may not be easy, it is essential because if the results of our actions, or lack of action, are not ours then we are not free persons but puppets.  Whether we like it or not, we are responsible for our own actions, and, in most cases, we cannot claim others made us do things no matter how much we might want to.

In mass we often pray, “I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and Sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.”

In the end we cannot escape ownership of our actions and the brave and courageous person is the one who quickly accepts responsibility and deals with the consequences.  Accepting our actions allows us to receive God’s forgiveness if needed, and great praise if deserved.  At the end of our lives we will need to give an account of all we have done, and not done, let us make certain, by a lifetime of good action, that we can stand tall on that day.  For with God all things are possible!

Timothy Gallic
Principal, Holy Family High School
303-410-1411

From the Principal's Desk 3.15

Dear Friends,

First, I would like to sincerely thank everyone who participated in the annual Tree and Wreath Fundraiser.   Because of your participation we once again made our goal of $45,000.00.  As a result, students and staff will all have an additional day off of school on Monday, November 26th.  Enjoy the extra long holiday with family and friends!

Trait of the Week:  GRATITUDE

The trait of Gratitude, or thankfulness in its exercise, ranks high in desirability and yet rare in appreciation. We instinctively know the importance of this trait as we start teaching it to our youngest children.  How grand it would be should we, by happy chance, meet a truly thankful person, one who rightly sees the world they live in, and their contribution and is cognizant of how much was given to them, a happy soul, and a pleasant one.  The person who recognizes that everything they have results from a gift by the Almighty sees the world in all its wonder.  Gratitude changes everything.  In the midst of life’s difficulties, only the one who is grateful is free.  When your work is overwhelming, when you find prospects bleak, consciously be grateful.   Each day we rise, and give thanks for the ability to hear, to see, to breath.  To give thanks for their lack would be difficult!  Our children, even in the most challenging moments, what a gift!  Is there pain?  Is their loss?  Yes, but so much more is the blessing, if we have eyes to see it.  I do not mean we are to be blind to evil and call it good; we are to acknowledge that evil, like darkness, is dispelled by good, that the story does not end in misery, it always rises to a new morn, a glorious sunrise, a new day full of promise, and heaven beyond.  Finally a comment by Chesterton seems to say it well,

 “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder. “

In my life I find so much to be grateful for and this week, as we gather around a large roasted turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, family and friends, in warm homes, this most Christian of our Secular Holidays, let us give thanks to Him who created, saved and redeemed us, and gave us such a wonderful life.   

Timothy Gallic
Principal, Holy Family High School

p.s.  Parents, in this section I always ask for you to send to me your thoughts, comments, cares or concerns, the reason I do this is that despite the fact I walk around the building several times each day, stop by classrooms often and talk to teachers and students throughout the day I cannot see all that is happening in the school.  You do.  Your students and you collectively know everything that is going on and if you don’t tell me, I may never know.   So if you have an issue that you would like addressed, please let me know, it is the only way I can help you.

From the Principal's Desk 3.14

Dear Parents,

This week I will discuss the character trait of honor.  Honor, a trait given scant attention in today’s society, seems only of interest to organized crime or very proud individuals.  However, honor is a core function of human life.   As Shakespeare said, “Mine honor is my life; both grow in one; Take honor from me and my life is done.”   Honor forms our identity, governs our actions when we are alone or in a crowd, gives strength to our conscience and sets the path for our life. An honorable person will not steal and will not cheat, even if they can.  An honorable person will work a full day for a full days wage, will treat those around them in a manner fitting, and they will exercise all other virtues.   

We trust an honorable man or woman; we expect loyalty not treachery.  Honor by itself quickly can be led astray thus it must by nature be tied to other character traits which themselves tie into yet others.  

So how does one develop honor?  By behaving honorably.   Blessed John Paul II taught us that actions both reveal and determine who we are.  What I do becomes who I am.  I become patient by being patient, I become loving by loving, and I become honorable by acting honorably.   It is never too soon to start.  Let us encourage our students to act honorably and therefore to become honorable.

Timothy Gallic
Principal, Holy Family High School

Fromthe Principal's Desk 3.13

Dear Friends,

Last week I mentioned I would start discussing Character traits and the role they play in the formation and life of a young adult.  I will start that discussion by looking at the virtue of Patriotism.  (It is Election Day after all!)  Before I go on I do want to state that none of the traits I am discussing out-rank each other as they are all tied together in the framework of our life, some are more central and some are less so; all are important.

Patriotism, the love of one’s country, may seem an odd choice.  After all, why is it even on the list?  To begin one must realize that we are in this nation as part of God’s plan.  Many of us were born here and some have immigrated; all of us choose to be here.  It is in this nation we will live our lives and work out our salvation.  We could be elsewhere but we are not.  To love the nation that fed you, educated you, protects you, that provided your culture and way of life is too love who you are as a human person.  To desire that country to be great is a noble desire.  We are all familiar with the statement, ‘My country right or wrong’  we may not be familiar with the often forgotten next line ,’ when right to keep her right, when wrong to make her right.’  To be willing to die to protect this country of ours and to be willing to live a life worthy of such sacrifice emboldens the human spirit.  We want our students to have a lively and energetic love of this country, and a desire to help make it a better place.

In a larger sense we want our students and ourselves to be mostly in love with that everlasting kingdom, with the reign of Christ the King, to be ardent patriots of Heaven, our final and permanent home.  Each nation need have its individual patriots, together we all can be God’s faithful Patriots.

Timothy Gallic
Principal, Holy Family High School