A new student took his seat in Spanish I class at Saint Viator High School this semester: Fr. Charles Bolser, CSV, a former president of the school.
Mr. Kurt Paprocki, right, works with his newest freshman, Fr. Charles Bolser
“I know some Spanish, enough to converse and even say Mass,” Fr. Bolser says, “but I need to smooth it out. I don’t use it often enough to know all the right tenses. I thought taking a class would help.”
Ironically, he joined a class taught by a former student, Mr. Kurt Paprocki, who graduated from Saint Viator High School in 2000, when Fr. Bolser was president.
“It’s been such a pleasure having Padre in my class,” says Mr. Paprocki. “He was such a positive influence during my years as a student at Saint Viator, that I feel lucky to have a small influence on his.”
That said, Mr. Paprocki is not making any exceptions for his former administrator, and is holding him to the same standard as the rest of his students.
“He’s in class Monday through Friday,” Mr. Paprocki says. “He takes the same tests as his classmates, and he’s expected to complete the same homework assigned each night.”
Last week, Fr. Bolser joined his classmates for a unit in the language lab, and during class he often is assigned to pair up with another student to review homework assignments and practice Spanish conversation.
His classmates are taking their new student in stride. While they were a little hesitant at first, they now greet him warmly when he arrives and have accepted him in their class.
“I think it’s a lot of fun,” said freshman Maggie Dougherty. “It’s nice that he wants to come to school to learn Spanish.”
His teacher agrees.
“Padre is a perfect example of how the learning process never ends,” Mr. Paprocki says. “It’s never too late to learn something new, or to refine certain life skills. Padre Bolser exemplifies this, and his classmates see him as an example.”