Creating a culture of safety for school children

Blue and silver pinwheels lined the South Carrollton Avenue driveway of the Waldo Burton Boys Home, greeting 16 elementary and high school counselors attending an archdiocesan school counselors quarterly meeting. The pinwheels were placed in honor of National Child Abuse Prevention Month observed each April. Extra pinwheels were on hand for counselors to take back to their schools.

 Mount Carmel Sister Mary Ellen Wheelahan, archdiocesan safe environment coordinator, asked those in attendance at the April 26 meeting to pray for the protection of children and youth and to promote justice and healing for survivors of abuse.

Location, location

Martha Mundine, deputy superintendent of the archdiocesan Department of Catholic Education and Faith Formation, said several boys living at Waldo Burton attend Catholic schools, and when the home’s director called to host a meeting, the schools’ office thought it was a good opportunity to bring the counselors there “and build a partnership with them.”

 Sister Mary Ellen said Alexander Gagnet, Waldo Burton’s director, has a rich background in family and parenting skills and is knowledgeable about child psychology, boys’ development, parents and the state’s Department of Child and Family Services system.

 “Alexander truly cares about helping these young men,” she said. “You can see him light up when he talks about the home and the work they are doing here. He has a true passion, which is such a blessing. I hope we are able to enroll more students who are in need, from our schools into this program.”

 Mundine explained that the schools’ office tries to work with community groups that have resources that are beneficial to Catholic schools, students and parents. 

Waldo Burton Boys Home

Hidden in plain sight, Waldo Burton is a 200-year-old private, non-profit, residential, Class B home providing a safe haven for boys 6-18 who are struggling in some capacity. The 30-bed residence provides boys with educational opportunities through the public, private and parochial school systems. It also maintains a 10-person, on-campus homeschool. The home receives no federal or state funding and relies on private endowments.

 “This is a place for boys who are emotionally, socially and economically challenged,” Gagnet said. “The long and short of it is our kids have hardships of some kind. We work with the parents of these students and make sure to tie everything back to their own home so that we can make the boys’ and families’ lives easier.”

Counselor resources 

Gagnet said he welcomes the relationship with the archdiocese and looks forward to an ongoing partnership. The Waldo Burton staff transports the boys to and from school, provides tutoring, meals, transportation to extra-curricular activities and a solid family structure on campus.

“I want to thank the counselors who are here today for all of the good work you are doing in your schools,” Gagnet said. “Know that you are making a difference in the lives of those children every day. Keep it up, and God bless you for the work you are doing.”

 Other services presented at the meeting included River Oaks Hospital’s adolescent and children’s programs and Vie Bènie, a non-profit organization addressing high school students’ mental health challenges.

 “Through our research, we’ve found, when working with youth, in order to have optimal functionality, one of the keys to success is making sure that parents, staff and residents work in harmony,” Gagnet said. “Everyone needs to be working toward the same goal (the betterment of the child) and communicating the whole time as a team.”

 Gagnet offered a piece of advice from a book he was reading.

“Make sure you approach each day while you are working with youth with a generous heart, a willingness to listen, challenge skepticism and have the humility to ask for help – not just for the youth in your care, but for yourself as well,” he said.

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