Supporting local education more important than ever
By Siobhan A. Taylor, MSW, President of DePaul Cristo Rey High School
The nature and face of education continues to change before our very eyes. Pandemic woes have led to a formal reckoning—the coming to terms with the realities educational reform has beckoned and tried to address for the last 30 years. Strained community resources, technological divides, inaccessible opportunities and a deepening mental health crisis for many of the nation’s youth continue to plague our educational landscape. Let’s face it—education has never been more difficult or more important than it is today.
Daily, we hear the endearing stories of educators and administrators upholding the weight of it all, as they continue to mold the character, perspectives and attitudes of our future leaders, parents and philanthropists. Hidden behind the veil of Instagram and Tik Tok, our students’ authentic needs and desires languish upon conflated messages about success, image, individualism and immediate super-earnings. Even those without significant socio-economic advantages find themselves stuck in the allure of the world’s untruths; the assaults on who they are and who they are meant to be. These Goliath-like battles become some of the most essential they will face—both in isolation and in community.
And yet, in the midst of these difficulties, silver linings do emerge. We see the resilience and grit of youth to adapt and go. We experience the courage and bravery of a generation focused on social justice and community teachings that highlight the inherent value, worth and dignity of all people. We see a continued effort by many students to step into purpose by challenging the status-quo and developing solutions for some of our society’s greatest failures. In short, we behold the passing of the baton to hope and light.
This edition of Cincy Magazine is committed to highlighting the gift of education within the Greater Cincinnati community. Schools and programs are celebrated for both their achievements and offerings. And while these celebrations are indeed due, there are students and teachers in many local schools struggling to celebrate; struggling to see how the bright future of tomorrow for many is the same bright future for the students they serve and love so dearly. Hope is what they all cling to. Love is what continues to call them all toward action.
As you read these pages, I encourage you to consider how you can make an impact on a school or community of students in need. Seek your reflection in the stories captured. Seek a curiosity for the stories not told. Consider the needs you once had as a child, teen or young adult. What did you need that many overlooked? What do you wish others did differently so that you may have avoided your fatal mistakes? What example did you need guiding you through the many unanswered questions in your heart and mind?
Choose to be that for a student today. Choose to be the one who helps make any gap a little smaller.
A Cincinnati native, Siobhan Taylor joined DePaul Cristo Rey High School as president in 2020. Taylor is a graduate of Ursuline Academy, Miami University and the University of Michigan; she also completed additional studies at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. She has held several education leadership positions, locally at the Springer School and Center, and James N. Gamble Montessori High School. Most recently she served as Head of High School at Marburn Academy in New Albany, Ohio.
