Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Notre Dame's Alliance for Catholic Education has partnered with Baltimore Catholic schools to provide teachers.

Notre Dame’s ACE Teaching fellows to serve in Baltimore Catholic schools through new partnership


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Catholic Review Filed Under: Colleges, Feature, Local News, News, Schools

The Archdiocese of Baltimore and the Alliance for Catholic Education at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., have announced a new partnership that will bring four ACE Teaching Fellows to Catholic schools across Baltimore. 

“The collaboration strengthens the archdiocese’s ongoing commitment to academic excellence and faith-based education, while advancing ACE’s mission to form the next generation of transformative Catholic school educators,” the Archdiocese of Baltimore said in a media release.

The ACE Teaching Fellows program, a nationally recognized initiative based in Notre Dame’s Institute for Educational Initiatives, places recent graduates from colleges and universities across the country into under-resourced Catholic schools. Participants serve as full-time teachers while pursuing a tuition-free master of education degree from the University of Notre Dame. 

With the addition of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, ACE Teaching Fellows now serves 153 schools in 37 archdioceses across the country.

“Our archdiocesan Catholic schools continue to lead the way in closing the achievement gap for children in Baltimore,” said Gregory Farno, chancellor of the Department of Catholic Schools, in a media release. “We are blessed to welcome these talented ACE Teaching Fellows, whose dedication to mission and excellence will make a real difference in the lives of our students and communities.”

The four ACE teachers joining the archdiocese this fall include:

  • Nate Cannizzo (St. Joseph’s University), teaching math at Mother Mary Lange Catholic School in West Baltimore
  • Anna Merriam (University of Notre Dame), teaching fourth grade at St. Francis of Assisi School
  • Farrell Moorehead (University of Dayton), teaching fourth grade at Cardinal Shehan School in Baltimore
  • Bryce Pattison (St. Louis University), teaching English at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Fells Point

ACE Teaching Fellows are formed in a rigorous two-year program that integrates graduate-level coursework, spiritual development and community living. The program is grounded in the belief that outstanding teachers help create learning environments in which students flourish academically, spiritually and socially.

“We know that outstanding educators establish invigorating environments in which young people want to learn and grow. They make a lifelong impact not just on their students, but on the entire communities they serve,” John Staud, executive director of ACE, said in a media release. “We’re honored to partner with the Archdiocese of Baltimore and support the inspiring work being done in these Catholic schools.”

The Archdiocese of Baltimore sponsors a similar program, Operation TEACH (Teachers Enlisted to Advance Catholic Heritage). The post-graduate service and educational program supports Baltimore area Catholic schools while giving novice educators a chance to earn an advanced degree at Notre Dame of Maryland University in Baltimore.

In 2024, half of all Maryland schools recognized with the U.S. Department of Education’s Blue Ribbon designation were Catholic schools within the archdiocese, representing 12 percent of all nationwide nonpublic school recipients of the award.

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