Why I Teach

By Elizabeth Mainardi I grew up in Palatine, Illinois as the oldest of six kids with a span of 15 years between me and my youngest sister. My parents always gave us what we needed and then some, but they were not in a financial position to pay for my four years of college tuition. So, while my friends from my Catholic high school (which boasted alumni like Jarrett Payton, the son of Chicago Bears legend Walter Payton), shopped around and held glossy brochures from exclusive, private colleges across the country, my strategy and approach to my college search were slightly different: I was looking for a way to come out with as little debt as possible. My dad was out of work for a significant period of my college search, and as sole provider for a family of eight, that was no small thing. The stress level in my house was understandably high. In his search for a new job, however, he met a friend who recommended Seton Hall University for me and assured my dad that options were available for scholarships and funding. As I applied, I prayed for a sign from God that I would make a good decision (as I had never been to New Jersey before), and after receiving a merit-based scholarship for full tuition, room and board, and books, I figured that was enough of a sign for me. God is good though, and upon reading the literature for the school I’d be attending, I found out that Seton Hall was named for a saint who shared my name— Elizabeth Ann. I signed the papers and planned to attend before I had even set foot on the campus. I had always had visions of studying English or journalism, but the scholarship I received was specifically for women in science, so I had three options for a major—biology, chemistry, or physics. Being a high-strung, anxious student and not knowing what kind of academic pressure lay before me (as my scholarship had a demanding GPA requirement), I took my mom’s advice: “Major in biology. It’s going to be the easiest of the three. ” (My apologies to biologists everywhere.) I started freshman year as a biology major and I made the decision to continue swimming competitively as a walk-on for the school’s Division 1 swim team. So far, so good.

Elizabeth and Jim Mainardi with their children.

Mainardi with her first students at Paramus Catholic High School. Elizabeth Mainardi, the oldest of six children, with her five siblings.

Biology labs were in the mornings right after 5:45 AM swim practice, and so I’d often be running into lab at the last second, hair soaked, but ready to dissect the specimen-of-the-week with my lab partner. One fateful morning, we were directed to dissect a perch (a rather large fish), and the dull, overused lab instruments proved to be futile against its thick outer skin. My partner started violently stabbing the fish with her scalpel in an attempt to get it open, and after a couple stabs, she managed to pierce through the skin and into the ovary. The eggs of our preserved specimen, a wet, powdery, sticky film, exploded out of the fish and ended up covering the two of us. Head. To. Toe.

It was that day that I decided, no, biology was not for me. I changed my major to chemistry and figured although it might be hard, it had to be better than formaldehyde fish eggs. And truly, it was. I remember sitting in my room building molecules out of hair pins and beads (because I did not have money for a molecular modeling kit), and organic chemistry suddenly made sense to me. My friends would come and join me in my room for study sessions, and as they did better on tests from my feeble explanations, I realized that chemistry was definitely something that I could do for life.

My plan in my junior year was to go for a PhD in chemistry from Columbia University (at the encouragement of my physics professor), but I realized that I was more interested in starting a family after I graduated. I was engaged at this point, and my main concern was picking a career path that would allow me to spend as much time with my future children as possible. Teaching clearly made the most sense, and so at least in practicality, that is why I teach. After I graduated in 2004, I enrolled in the EPICS (Educational Partnership in Catholic Schools) program at Seton Hall which allowed me to work full time as a teacher in a Catholic school and pursue my Master’s Degree full-time simultaneously. I got a job at Paramus Catholic High School as a chemistry teacher, and after being handed a textbook, a roster of 120 students in my four classes, and a key to my classroom, the journey began. I was not a likely candidate for teaching in many ways. I was always deeply sensitive with an insurmountable fear of public speaking, and I was not blessed with the gift of knowing the exact right thing to say. Although I did well in school and loved my subject, I wasn’t sure that I would be able to relate to the kids sitting in front me or that they would share my passion for chemistry, a subject that makes most people shudder. Anxiety was my constant enemy—on my drive on Route 80 to school, my anxiety would get the best of me, and I’d often have to pull over and get sick. There

were weeks where I would pull over and get sick in the exact spot that I’d gotten sick the day before. I’d spend hours preparing lessons and setting up labs. I chaperoned retreats, dances, and any events that I could in order to try to get to know the kids better. I tried my best to get to know the students, to understand where they were coming from, and to let them know that in spite of it all, I was on their team and that I cared. I firmly believed that I was called to be a teacher, that I had a gift for breaking down complicated concepts into simple explanations, and that my concern for my students would eventually turn things around for me. And things did get better. Two years later on a retreat with the EPICS program, I ended up sleeping at the retreat center of an all-boys school in Morristown, and as they say, the rest is history. I fell in love with the school and I promised myself that I would do whatever it took to work there. I applied shortly after that retreat and I got a call from the headmaster offering me the job a couple months later. Fast forward: I also got to live my dream of being a parent and I now have five kids, ages 14 to 6—all born during my tenure at Delbarton. I’m in my nineteenth year of teaching, and as Chuck Ruebling famously says, it’s great to be here—teaching, and specifically, teaching at Delbarton. God is good. (And for the record, I do not get sick on my way to work anymore.) So, why do I teach? I think it’s important to realize that the reason I teach, ultimately, is because of the grace of God. I believe teaching is a vocation and I answered the call. It’s divine providence. I did not have all of the gifts necessary from the start to be a teacher, but I did have the willingness to learn and the trust that God would give me what I needed as I needed it.

And He did. And He still does.

Each day is a gift; each day is an opportunity to grow in grace, and each day is a chance to give my students my best. And at the close of each school year, my hope is that once my students leave my class, they are a little more inspired to give their best to the world. And if they decide to give their best to the world as chemists… well, not gonna lie… that’s even better.

Elizabeth

Mainardi is the committed moderator of the Delbarton Wave4-Life Club.

An avid runner, Mainardi poses with her children after a 5K race.

Delbarton Receives Covenant House Beacon of Hope Award

On June 15, Delbarton was honored with the Beacon of Hope Award from Covenant House New Jersey. Delbarton hosts a Solidarity Sleepout each year, and the School was one of three recipients of the award. From the Covenant House website: “The Beacon of Hope Award is a distinguished honor bestowed upon members of our Covenant House New Jersey Community who exhibit extraordinary service to our young people and our mission. ” Our 2022 event raised $70,000 and put Delbarton over the $500,000 mark for total donations to Covenant House over the School’s seven annual Sleep Outs. Assistant Director of Mission and Ministry Br. Finnbar McEvoy OSB, accepted the award on behalf of Delbarton. Also in attendance at the event were Aidan Hassan ’22, who helped to organize this year’s Solidarity Sleep Out, as well as Dan Cimaglia ’16, Andrew Sanders ’16, Nick Diana ’16, and Sean Hager ’16 who were instrumental in launching our first Covenant House Sleep Out during their sophomore year.

D E L B A R T O N

Glenstal Abbey Exchange

Our exchange students from Glenstal Abbey School arrived in mid-March 2022 and began to settle into the Green Wave community. Located in Limerick, Ireland, Glenstal School is a fellow Benedictine, independent school for young men. In June 2022, some fortunate Delbarton students visited Ireland and are pictured here with their Glenstal host families, thereby completing the annual exchange. We are happy to report that Glenstal students arrived back on Delbarton campus on November 28, hosted by Delbarton families, for the first leg of the 20222023 exchange.

BEADS Returns to Kenya

The Benedictines of East Africa and Delbarton School (BEADS) program returned this June. Led by teacher Brian Theroux, the program is designed to create strong links between the Delbarton Benedictine community and various Benedictine communities and schools in Kenya. These connections were established in various forms that included food and supply donations, school visits and hands-on service. During BEADS 2022, each day included some form of work/service and each night ended with an evening prayer and conversation about what the group experienced that day. The trip was a great opportunity for the boys to experience the culture, wildlife and people of Kenya.

The Green Wave Rolls Through Italia

Ciao, Green Wave! Last summer, chaperones Dan Pieraccini, Michael DelGuercio and Daniel DiMeo and some very fortunate students began their Italian adventure by exploring the major sites of Florence and Tuscany. Next, the Green Wave visited Borgo a Mozzano where our young men toured historic sites from World War II. The men continued their travels by venturing to Umbria as they used the Etruscan City of Perugia as their new home base. While there, the group attended a medieval festival in Bevagna and visited a celebrity chef’s restaurant in Montefalco. Our students were even transformed into chefs for a day as they learned how to prepare an authentic, 4-course lunch, followed by a visit to the UNESCO world heritage site of Assisi and Lake Trasimeno beach for some fun in the sun, plus soccer and volleyball with locals.

Bethlehem Farm Working Retreat

In July, Br. William McMillan, OSB and Br. Finnbar McEvoy, OSB accompanied five Delbarton students to Bethlehem Farm in West Virginia for the School’s annual service mission. Attending the trip were Nicholas O’Brien

’23, Matt Pasko ’23, Patrick Moore ’23, Eoin Quinn ’23,

and Daniel Brennan ’23. Bethlehem Farm is a Catholic community in Alderson, WV, the heart of Appalachia, that operates a local farm with the goal of transforming lives through service while teaching sustainable practices. Boys interested in attending a future Bethlehem Farm mission are encouraged to contact Director of Mission & Ministry Matt White at mwhite@delbarton.org.

German Exchange in Markdorf

Students Volunteer in Honduras

Delbarton students are called to serve within and outside our community. In July, four of our young men volunteered at School the World. Vincent Maurizi ’24, Kear O’Malley ’24, Reid Comeaux ’24, and Quinn Kenny ’23 joined the World Changers team for a summer student service program in Honduras. School the World is located in rural southern Honduras in Montecristo, San Francisco de Coray. The 10day trip began on July 11 when the boys arrived to attend a community welcoming ceremony. Our young men worked alongside other student volunteers all week until July 17, working with school staff to construct a school for local children. While in Honduras, the volunteers took a break to visit the beach in Choluteca and enjoy dinners in San Lorenzo. In mid-June, Delbarton German Exchange moderator Kevin Conn accompanied a group of Delbarton students on an exchange with Bildungszentrum Markdorf, a German university prep school (gymnasium) in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, near Lake Constance. Our young men had a wonderful time enjoying the sights and German cuisine as they met and interacted with their German counterparts while getting a taste of the culture and learning more about German history.