Cardinal Mooney should provide a safe, sound and Catholic education

Opinion: June 30, 2013 at 12:00a.m.

I have recently become very disheartened by the polarization of our parochial school community over one issue: what to do about Cardinal Mooney High School.

Everyone has an opinion. Some are thoughtful and based on facts. Others are based solely on emotion and nostalgia. Regardless, this issue is doing irreparable harm to our larger faith community the longer it is allowed to remain unsettled.

Leadership had the wisdom to study and research the costs and benefits. Alumni, current enrolled families and potential enrollee families were all polled. The board voiced an opinion. Yet, at the end of the day, one person made a decision that was contradictory to those polled. A leader who is trying to build unity, grow enrollment and gain support should recognize the error in this choice. Nothing alienates people more than being disregarded.

What are the concerns of those families paying tuition to educate their children in the parochial system? Safety, or the lack thereof, is of primary importance. The South Side is the most violent and crime-riddled side of town.

What is also absurd is that the sole decision maker in this process has stated that the decision is based upon both the mission of the Catholic Church as well as mindfulness to fiscal responsibility. It seems to me that if you want to create a win-win scenario, you find a way. A move to the suburbs does not have to mean the exclusion of city residents.

Also, to claims of fiscal responsibility, moving Mooney is the strongest and best business decision that can be made. It means growing enrollment from an expanding demographic. It means construction and supplier jobs for the area. It means strengthening, rather than weakening elementary enrollments. It means customer satisfaction that will excite and motivate the base rather than disenfranchising it. Finally, if the community believes their opinions are valued and they have a partner in their church leadership, they are more apt to support the church with monetary commitments.

Proverbs 13:22 states, “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children.” It is time to consider the survival of Cardinal Mooney High School in this community. To ensure its legacy means to partner with parents in their desire to provide a safe, sound and Catholic education to their children.

If you are concerned about the city, move your businesses and employees there. Keep our children out of it.

Jennifer Gray, Boardman

Location isn’t everything

Its mission statement reads: “Cardinal Mooney High School is committed to providing a quality education in the supportive atmosphere of the Mooney family. Our embrace of Gospel values, and our tradition of sanctity, scholarship, and discipline enable our students to achieve personal excellence. We strive to develop leaders dedicated to social justice and service in the world community.”

I think the lines of “community” have been blurred. Isn’t a community a group of people living and interacting with one another with individual’s actions affecting each other’s progress, well-being, and evolution? A community or family doesn’t pre-select members. It doesn’t base success or failure on the basis of color, creed, economic status or, for that matter, location. The location of Cardinal Mooney in no way represents what takes place within. The South Side of Youngstown is an integral part of the city where for more than 50 years parents of high school students chose to make a sacrifice in order to enroll their children at the school.

A shiny new building in a more affluent and “safe” part of town doesn’t justify the cost of tuition nor should it make it more appealing, nor does it make it academically sound. It’s a choice. It’s a sacrifice. It’s a tradition. If the location bothers you, if you feel unsafe, if you no longer have faith in the city of Youngstown or a resurgence, that’s a choice as well. Things are not always new, or safe, or ideal, but being disciplined, having faith, and understanding the value in the things that do matter — not a structure — is what is priceless.

If there are those who feel the location of the school prohibits their child from attaining what is needed in an education due to the location alone, there are numerous choices throughout the Valley.

Michelle Novotny, Warren

The writer is a Cardinal Mooney alumnus.

Fracking bill deserves support

We write in support of the Fracking Emergency Medical Right-to-Know Act to ensure that doctors, nurses, emergency planners and first responders have timely, reliable access to all information on fracking chemicals in order to do their jobs and protect workers and other members of the community.

A state can require more than the federal government by way of disclosure and exposure standards, but the oil and gas industry should not be permitted to do less.

Federal standards for exposure to toxic chemicals are usually based on exposure to a single chemical for a known period of time. But workers who are exposed to toxic chemicals are usually exposed to a combination of toxic substances for unknown periods of time, and exposure to a combination of chemicals can increase the likelihood of occupational disease. Even the standards that exist may be too low to protect workers.

Back in the 1980s, General Motors Lordstown had that problem. The air in different parts of the plant was mixed together, expelled from the plant and sucked back into the plant. A proportional mortality ratio study revealed that the cancer rate for certain cancers significantly exceeded the percentages in the general population. The company had to make changes to meet OSHA standards.

At least require the fracking companies to follow federal procedures and meet federal standards.

Alice and Staughton Lynd, Niles

Why not give courtesy with ticket?

I was moving my son’s car for- ward a bit on June 20 to cut the grass and noticed a small card under the windshield wiper. It was a “City of Struthers” parking citation, but I couldn’t read all that was marked as it was poorly written and faded.

So I called ne of the listed numbers to inquire when it had been issued and the reason. The kind lady I spoke with said, “Oh yes, that was dated June 13 and it was for front yard parking. Your fines are all on the back.” Then she said, “Have a nice day, sir.”

Yes, the car was in the grass. It was parked cleanly 8 inches from and parallel to the driveway, and near the garage as not to obstruct the vision of other motorists. It is also current on its license tag, registration and insurance, though it is not being driven on a regular basis right now.

To the officer who wrote the citation without the courtesy to leave a note in the door with a contact number, or even a written warning — two thumbs down.

Had you made the attempt, you would have learned that my son has made a commitment with the Marines and is in recruit training, becoming one of “The Few, The Proud.”

By the way, officer, your fine was paid in full. The sad part was that it came from an envelope marked “for trip to Parris Island July graduation.” That’s ugly, Struthers.

Tim Ritter, Struthers