By John Rohlf, The Message assistant editor
Becky Humm, fifth grade teacher at Resurrection School in Evansville, was one of four diocesan educators to have a project funded this past grant cycle through the Lilly Endowment.
Humm’s project was “Saints and Sports: Inspiration from the Source.” Last February, Humm attended a retreat to learn more about St. Thomas Aquinas. Last summer, she “followed” St. Thomas Aquinas through Italy to strengthen her spiritual wellness. She visited the Vatican in Rome, where he worked under Pope Clement IV as his papal theologian; his birthplace in Roccasecca; and where he lived and taught at two separate times at the San Domenico Maggiore Church in Naples.
She then headed to the Greek island of Santorini, where she was able to try several new sports and activities “as a way to increase my physical wellness.” She hiked from the city of Fira to Oia. She also kayaked, swam, snorkeled and even took a rooftop yoga class before going to mainland Greece and visiting Athens.
“I learned about, prayed about, visited, tracked and applied inspiration from St. Thomas Aquinas and sports to renew myself both spiritually and physically,” Humm said.
So far, Humm said her highlight has been the trip. While she enjoyed every stop, some of her favorites were surprising, she said.
“I never could have guessed how beautiful the tiny town of Roccasecca was going to be, or what incredibly kind people I would run into who literally called friends to set up personal tours of churches for us,” Humm said. “I was also in awe of so many of the relics I was able to see, like Jesus’ manger and actual writings and original paintings of St. Thomas Aquinas.”
Humm said it was incredible to walk through the Holy Doors and visit the tomb of Pope Francis, as well as seeing the amazing Vatican museums. Santorini and Athens were both beautiful and also inspiring, she said.
“I tried so many new things, jogged on a track used by past Olympians and found a love for hiking,” she added.
Upon returning home from the trip, Humm created a bulletin board displayed in the main hallway of Resurrection School that included a summary, photos and a map for students to track her travels.
“It is such a gift to be able to share photos and real world experiences from the project with my classes,” she said. “When we meet in our houses (her house is Aquinas) and I am able to talk about the hike to his family’s castle and the messages shared along the way with actual perspective, I can only hope my students feel my excitement and are more engaged and interested due to it.”
Humm added this trip really did renew her body and soul in such a way that she has been a more patient teacher and person.
“I have been able to reference so many things as I teach religion class or as we hear things in Mass,” Humm said. “I believe all students and people like to form real connections to things and I hope I’m able to spark those for my students.”
Humm said there are three other key aspects of her project that are still ongoing. She will volunteer at a Special Olympics event in our area, take her family to the Indianapolis Children’s Museum to visit the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience and will host a Finding Your Fitness club at school this spring, where students and staff can try new activities.
Along with Humm, Beth Browning and William Lismore, teachers at Reitz Memorial High School in Evansville; and Matt Moore, principal at Annunciation School at Christ the King in Evansville, were four of 129 educators in the state of Indiana to be approved for grants as part of the Lilly Endowment Teacher Creativity Fellowship program. The grants of up to $15,000 fund renewal projects the educators designed themselves, which the Endowment hopes will help restore their commitment to their profession, foster creativity and, in turn, enhance the educational experiences of their students.
Humm recommends other educators pursue the grant through the Lilly Endowment Teacher Creativity Fellowship program.
“It is a lot of work and honestly, focusing on oneself is not something educators do often,” Humm said. “But this experience has truly been renewing and uplifting. I hope every educator has the opportunity to seek out their own personal renewal.”
We will have stories on William Lismore and Matt Moore’s projects in a future issue of The Message.