When Salpointe Catholic High School teachers created a curriculum based on Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, they hoped other schools could make use of those lessons.
They hoped, but weren’t sure.
“The idea of bringing the essence of the encyclical, which is basically respect for the earth and respect for all of the peoples of the earth, parallels Salpointe’s mission ...” said Kay Sullivan, the school’s president. “Kids wouldn’t necessarily think what the pope said is relevant to them, and we wanted to make it relevant.”
That’s why six teachers from the theology, science, humanities and social studies departments created about 60 lesson plans based on the pope’s “Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home,” which he released in the summer of 2015.
Another teacher translated the lessons into Spanish.
With its emphasis on the environment, the encyclical is a neat fit for science class, and the theological implications make it a go for students of theology. But Salpointe teachers said the philosophies presented in the encyclical make it relevant in humanities and social studies, too.
The curriculum developed here could have an international reach as it is offered first to at least 40 schools worldwide that, like Salpointe, are part of the Carmelite religious order. The curriculum will also be available to schools outside of the order, Sullivan said.
Sister Jane Remson, the main representative at the United Nations for the New Orleans-based Carmelite NGO, initiated and oversaw the project and has received inquiries about the curriculum from schools in Spain and Africa, she said.
Approval has already come from Archbishop Gregory Aymond of the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Rev. Raúl Maraví Cabrera, the president of the International Commission of Carmelite Schools and Youth and a general councilor of the Carmelite Order representing the Americas.
The material will be presented internationally in November at a congress in Rome for Carmelite schools.
At Salpointe, some teachers are already using the material. On Feb. 6, the Rev. Eduardo Agosta Scarel, a climate scientist who helped consult for “Laudato Si,” spoke to Salpointe students.
Pope Francis “has addressed these issues where if we look at development in a sustainable way, we will be caring for the earth, eliminating poverty and protecting natural resources ...” Remson said. “We were looking at it and said this crosses everything we do, not just when we go to church on Sunday. This should be incorporated into every aspect of our lives.”
Remson already knew Sullivan and selected Salpointe as a pilot school for its environmental science program and social consciousness, she said.
Kevin Russell, an environmental science and AP biology teacher at Salpointe, jumped at the opportunity to work on and lead the project, traveling in 2015 to New Orleans and then Peru with the Carmelite NGO to further develop the idea.
“As a scientist, it was amazing to see the church embracing what I have been teaching in environmental science class,” Russell said of the encyclical.
For him, incorporating the pope’s thoughts on climate change and the responsibility to care for the environment was a “cakewalk.”
But he needed to get other teachers involved.
In January 2016, he pitched the idea to Salpointe faculty from other departments. Elena Malovich, who teaches AP literature and sophomore honors English, took the challenge.
In English class, Malovich uses the encyclical, along with the United Nations’ “Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” as philosophical texts through which students can analyze other works.
Cross-curricular learning teaches students to think more critically, she said.
“What you are learning in other classes applies,” Malovich said. “You might be learning this in environmental science, but think about the stories we read and how authors bring out the earth as part of their characterization. Sophomores read ‘Wuthering Heights,’ and I have them characterize characters, and they have to include the landscape as a character. How is the earth a character in the texts we read?”
The pope’s points on environmental stewardship apply in theology class and those on consumerism and the unequal distribution of wealth correspond with social studies, Russell said.
The lesson plans encourage students to evaluate how they can make a difference in caring for the earth and for other people. They draw on the encyclical’s statements that an unhealthy environment affects the poor, and people affect the environment.
“It helps to have it reiterated at every level, be it political, religious or secular...” Malovich said. “It’s not just a concern of the hippies. It’s not just a concern of the tree-hugger. It needs to be coming from teachers, from religious folks, from politicians. It needs to come from all angles.”
