20 Canisius High School Today
From The Principal’s Office
Dear Alumni, Parents and Friends of Canisius,
For students and educators alike, there is nothing quite like the excitement of a new school
year. The 2011-12 school year, like so many others before it, got off to a great start here
on Delaware Avenue. New academic opportunities and programs for students along with
long-standing academic traditions are now in full swing.
Perhaps the biggest newacademic programof note is the introductionofMandarinChinese
in our foreign language department. Canisius joins Jesuit schools and other schools across
the country in making Chinese the fastest-growing foreign language in American
schools. Currently students in all grade levels are enrolled in Chinese I with an-
ticipation of growing the program to include three to four levels of the language in
the years ahead. Dr. Qingjie Fan joins us from Beijing where he taught Chinese. He
has acclimated himself to Buffalo and is encouraged by his first groups of students.
The sounds of students slowly and repetitively practicing their Chinese sounds can
be heard as you walk past the third floor classroom of Dr. Fan. Students note that
Mandarin Chinese is a difficult language due to the need to learn both the sounds
and signs of a language with little similarity to their native English.
Another significant new program relates to the appointment of Fr. Robert Pecoraro,
S.J., as the vice president for Ignatian identity andmission. With the declining num-
ber of available Jesuits to staff Jesuit schools across the province and country, the
responsibility of maintaining and promulgating the Ignatianmission and Jesuit spir-
ituality will fall to lay colleagues. In this new role, Fr. Pecoraro will assist in the pro-
cess of preparing and supporting the lay leadership and staff of Canisius to assume
that responsibility. Fr. Pecoraro helped us open the school year by leading a day of reflec-
tion and prayer for the entire Canisius community. His impact has been immediate and
welcomed by all.
I encourage all alumni to continue to stay in touch with all that is happening at Canisius
by visiting our website regularly and taking advantage of the many events available to past
and present Crusaders.
I continue to keep the friends of Canisius High School in prayer.
Timothy Fitzgerald
Principal