President’s Blog: A SIT DOWN WITH ONE OF OUR FOUNDERS
Kris Smith was the Principal at Holy Cross and AMHS from 1994 to 2008. She shared the following reflection of Pat and Bill.
“They were instrumental from the very beginning, i.e. the first meeting to determine interest. Pat was the first athletic director which was no easy task since we had no facilities. She started the soccer program because it could be played or at least practiced on the field adjacent to HCHS. She figured out a way for us to use the Everett Armory for basketball. All four of their kids attended and graduated the school, the oldest being in the first graduating class from Holy Cross. It is beyond me how she taught chemistry so well in a room that had previously been a kindergarten classroom. She and Bill have always been very generous without calling attention to themselves.”
Pat and Bill Jack have a connection with Holy Cross and Archbishop Murphy High School few people can claim. From 1989 to 2008, Pat was a member of the science department at both Holy Cross and AMHS. Prior to joining the faculty at Holy Cross, Pat and her husband Bill were part of the founding families of Holy Cross who purchased the land that became the current campus of AMHS. As a member of the science department Pat was renowned for her energy and spirit in the classroom—as well as her famous wine lab lesson. She was also passionate about athletics and served as the school athletic director and girls soccer coach. Her soccer teams consistently qualified for the state tournament and they brought home the first 2A state title in the history of AMHS in 2006.
Bill was involved with the performing arts programs from the beginning of his time as a parent of four children who would attend Holy Cross and AMHS. He built countless set pieces, provided costumes, and attended hundreds of performances. Pat was known for her sense of humor, her devotion to Catholic education, and her commitment to her students. I enjoyed working with Pat during my first two years at AMHS and have valued the support she and Bill continue to give to AMHS whether it be building set pieces for the spring musical or playing the bagpipes in the Kenmore and District Pipe Band at our graduation exercises. Several members of our community shared their memories of Pat and Bill.
Debby Walsh recalled the early years of Holy Cross High School:
“My first memory of the OLPH schoolhouse was when I went there on June 7, 1994, for an interview with Mary Anne Callaghan, Jim Leonard, and Kris Smith. Upon walking up the stairs to the second floor where the office was, I instantly had the impression that I was in a pioneer environment where everyone was working their heads off, where wits, love, and grit made up for sketchy resources, and where everyone was happy as they tried to build this little corner of the Kingdom of God.
Many used innovative ways to scrounge for resources so we could provide a quality Catholic education for our students when Holy Cross really had very little money. Pat Jack did all sorts of things to compensate for few resources, both in her chemistry classes and in athletics. Most teachers had four preps, and in the first years we taught six classes. We taught sometimes outside our fields of expertise, but it always seemed to me we were providing the rigorous education that Jim Leonard, academic VP, frequently reminded us we must provide. I am just glad I was a lot younger then because I know I couldn’t keep up that pace now. School started at 7:40 in the early years, and we got out at 3:00.
Holy Cross started with 23 students in 1988. By the time I arrived in 1994, our enrollment was 167 students. And the rest, as they say, is history.”
Dane Stringfellow is currently served as a counseling intern at AMHS while he finishes his counseling certification through Seattle University. As a student at AMHS Dane had Pat Jack as a teacher:
“Ms. Jack was one of my favorite teachers at Murphy. I always thought science in general was interesting but she is the one who made chemistry fun to learn; especially the wine lab and when we lit the tables on fire with rubbing alcohol. I specifically remember her going out of her way to tell my parents that she thought I had a future in chemistry if I wanted it. I did not but hearing that changed my outlook on all of my science classes from then on. She was someone everyone loved as a teacher and that is because it was very apparent that she truly cared about her students.”
Katie (Myers) Campbell is a teacher in the AMHS English Department and the Academic Resource Center. She also serves as the ASB moderator with fellow alum Natalie Schmidt:
“I met Mrs. Jack in August of 2000, trying out for soccer my freshman year. We would have student handbook quizzes as a part of our warm-ups. Incorrect answers resulted in more crunches. Mrs. Jack was always encouraging and knew how to build up our confidence after a poor play. She pushed us to be better, but she always made sure we had fun!
A couple years later, I had Mrs. Jack for chemistry. I was always a good student and loved science, but this was a tough class. I was close to failing and considered dropping the course. Mrs. Jack wouldn’t let me- she knew my potential and didn’t want me to give up. She stayed with me after school every day, sometimes making her late to soccer practices. She made sure I was successful but more so that I learned. My favorite moment in her class was when my group and I messed up on an experiment (not following directions) and it caught on fire. We were able to put it out, but the flame went all the way to the ceiling. Mrs. Jack’s response? “Whatever.”
Every time I hear or say the Serenity Prayer, I think of Pat Jack. We said it every practice, and even though I only played one year before switching to the cheer team, she left quite the imprint. She made learning fun, and she made playing work.”
Maddy Huggins is a teacher in the AMHS Math Department and an assistant coach on the girl’s soccer team. Maddy shared this reflection of her former coach and teacher:
Pat Jack had a large impact in my life, she was my coach my freshman year of high school and she led the girl’s soccer program to its first State Title. She also was my Chemistry teacher my sophomore year. She stopped coaching after my freshman year so I was very excited to have her as a teacher. She continued to support myself and a number of other soccer players, by coming to our games and asking us about our season. One of her coaching philosophies has stuck with my throughout my entire soccer career and now as a coach: “Practice how you play.” While a common phrase, I don’t think many people understand or take it to the level that Pat Jack does.
When she said this she meant, that you compete against your teammates as hard or harder, than you would in a game. She knew that because we practiced every day, our own teammates were the best competition we would consistently face. That meant you don’t shy away from a tackle, hip check, or header in a practice. If you fall down, you get back up. When you lose the ball you hustle and go win the ball back. If you outplayed your teammates, you played, regardless of skill or seniority. That created a healthy competition every practice. This was one factor that led us to a state championship. Another meaning of the phrase was her policy on fitness. She believed that if we wanted to be fit for a game, we needed to play a real game as often as possible. We scrimmaged for an hour every day, on top of fitness drills. This would cause our legs to be tired and heavy like they would be in a game. This also improved our touches and skills, exponentially, better than any drill would have. Through training and competition, Pat was the first coach that made me realize that women through hard work and determination are allowed to be tough, strong, and an equal on and off the field.
Now as a teacher myself I recall one of my fondest memories–a day in Chemistry class. We were talking about the periodic table and Mercury. To myself and my peers, Mercury was this chemical element that was the ‘holy grail’ of elements. Mrs. Jack talked about its long lasting effects it could have if you were exposed for long periods of time. At some point it was banned from schools and “scientists or whatever” came to collect the mercury from all the schools. During this story Mrs. Jack proceeded to pull out three corked beakers of this beautiful metallic gel like substance, and started passing the beaker around the class. She then told us she illegally hid her beakers of Mercury from these “scientists or whatever” to show her students for years to come. It was amazing to be able to hold these beakers of Mercury in my own hands. She then poured a beaker out on a tray on the projector to show us the viscosity and structure of this forbidden element. I just remember in that moment thinking, “When I grow up I want to be Pat Jack.”
There was a myriad of moments in Chemistry like the Mercury event: we made wine, we lit tables on fire–all of these moments made her the coolest teacher at AMHS. Pat Jack made this school a fun and memorable place to learn.
She was a rebel with a cause–she was one of the first women to advocate for sports for girls in this area. She showed us that women were above the status quo, and if you work hard you will be rewarded. As a teacher, she had these crazy experiments, that at first seemed insane, but made complete sense in the end. I will always remember what I learned in her class through her exciting lessons. She did all this with a kind heart, usually a joke, and followed by her classic “whatever”.
I had the pleasure of visiting with Pat and Bill earlier this month and recorded our conversation in the St. Thomas Chapel. I was particularly moved by their reflections on what the mission of Catholic education is for our students. Please enjoy two of the great leaders in the history of Holy Cross and AMHS.
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
