NDCL School News
A simple clerical error led to early Christmas gifts valued at $225,000 for several local Catholic elementary schools, thanks to the creative help of Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin School.
Clerical Error Leads to Gift
A simple clerical error led to early Christmas gifts valued at $225,000 for several local Catholic elementary schools, thanks to the creative help of Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin School.
The story of this unexpected blessing began in September, when NDCL replaced all of its 60-year-old desks with contemporary, flexible and comfortable classroom furniture. Dubbed “NDCL’s Extreme Makeover,” the project transformed all of NDCL’s classrooms for 21st-century learning.
As excited as everyone was for the arrival of the new furniture, Principal Joseph A. Waler knew something was wrong as soon as the doors of the huge freight containers swung open.
“The new student desks looked great, but they were not exactly what I had ordered. It turns out that someone made an error in the ordering process, and we received a slightly different model than we had specified,” Waler explained.
The manufacturer VS America immediately accepted responsibility for the error and vowed to correct it.
“And that’s exactly what they did. With the utmost integrity and professionalism, VS placed a new order for the right desks, which we’ll receive next week.”
But what to do with the student desks that NDCL received in error in September? VS representatives and Waler discussed a variety of options, including retrofitting them, returning them and purchasing them at a reduced cost.
“In the course of our friendly negotiations, I suggested that I could find homes for the desks at local Catholic elementary schools if VS were willing to donate them to us,” Waler explained.
After giving Waler’s proposal some thought, VS agreed to give NDCL the 672 desks, valued at $335 each. Waler then reached out to Catholic elementary school principals, most of who jumped at the chance to modernize their junior high classrooms.
Schools receiving new desks in this $225,000 windfall include Mater Dei (Wickliffe), Notre Dame Elementary (Chardon), Saint Anselm (Chesterland), Saint Francis of Assisi (Gates Mills), Saint Helen (Newbury), Saint Joan of Arc (Chagrin Falls), Saint Mary (Chardon), and Saint Mary (Mentor).
“NDCL’s mission calls us to be leaders who transform the world, so it made sense for us to go beyond transforming our own classrooms,” Waler said. “What started out as a frustrating error ended up as a huge blessing for the students and teachers of our partner schools.”
Saint Francis of Assisi Principal Susan Herman agrees. “I am just speechless that NDCL’s leaders thought to include our school in their own classroom renovation project,” she said. “All of us are grateful to NDCL for helping to strengthen our shared ministry of Catholic education with this totally unexpected and much-appreciated gift.”
