Farewell and God Bless

As this year comes to a close, we give our thanks and gratitude for those who have served Chaminade Julienne with dedication for the mission of the school. We are grateful for the impact they have made on our students and on our greater CJ community.

As CJ’s health teacher, Lori Dozer has had the unique opportunity to teach every student in the school during her 22-year career at CJ, which included summer and online health classes to help students fit their health requirement into busy schedules.

“Lori has always been very focused on the students, helping them in any way she can even when it meant more work for her,” said Steve Fuchs, assistant principal.

“She enjoyed finding new and unique ways to make sure students were learning, especially in the online class when she didn’t see the students face-to-face.”

She also enjoyed forming relationships with co-workers.

“I have been blessed to know so many wonderful people from fellow coworkers (administrators, teachers, athletic trainers, team doctors, coaches), parents and students. That has been the most rewarding thing—the connections with people over the years,” she said.

“Working for a school that puts so much emphasis on everything from academics, to service, extracurricular activities, faith and diversity has been another benefit. There truly is no other school like CJ. That is why I don’t have the desire to work at another school. This part of my career will end at the best place!”

Being around the athletes and teams over the years has been exciting to her.

“We have had a lot of good teams! Having students go into a sports medicine-related career field has also been rewarding to see.”

“Lori was my athletic trainer throughout my high school career,” said Anthony turner ’04, athletic director. “Experiencing her ability to

recognize, evaluate, treat, and rehabilitate as a student was phenomenal.”

“She still has the same uncanny ability to do so with such a big heart and is why everyone loves her.”

Her future plans involve a change of pace and work hours.

“I want to experience for the first time in my working life, what it could feel like getting home at 5:00

or 6:00 p.m., and having the evenings to do what I want to do,” she said.

She has plenty of ideas for her new-found time.

“I plan on volunteering at organizations like Food For the Journey, taking an exercise class or other classes that interest me. I will still be looking for something where I am interacting with people, whether that is in healthcare or something totally different — I am looking forward to something new!” she said.

“I am also really looking forward to having weekends to travel and spend more time with my family! I love to travel, so going to any

beach, and going to see lighthouses, will be my priority!”

. . .

This year, Project Lead The Way awarded CJ with being a PLTW Distinguished School, the third consecutive year of the designation.

STEMM curriculum was just the tip of the iceberg for what Draeger made possible for students as she connected them with professionals and professors in the STEM field in numerous ways and provided leadership opportunities.

For Draeger, the top three things that she enjoyed during her time at CJ included: the community and work environment; sharing her Catholic/Christian faith in the work place; and the opportunity to create something special.

“I appreciate coming to a place where colleagues come to work every day and give their best to our students,” she said. “Sharing our faith in the workplace inspires each other and our students in their own faith.”

“It’s been an honor to serve as a cofounder and visionary of CJ STEMM from its inception in 2009, and co-creator of its many elements

— STEMM Idol Speaker Series, summer camps, employer partnerships, community outreach, and enrichment opportunities. It’s been a ‘dream job’ for me!”

Draeger plans to grow her involvement with the Dayton Metro Library, the Women’s group of the Kettering Catholic Community of parishes, Hospice of Dayton, and South Ohio section of the Society of Women Engineers.

“My husband Kendall and I look forward to traveling and spending time with my two sisters, our two daughters and granddaughter. I also have an endless stack of books to read, recipes to bake, a piano to play, and miles of parks and neighborhoods to walk.”

. . .

For 12 years, CJ has been blessed to have a Marianist Sister — The Daughters of Mary Immaculate, among its community in the person of Sr. Nicole Trahan, FMI. A member of the ministry and service staff, Trahan has helped guide students through their faith journeys.

“Sr. Nicole has been a true blessing to our CJ community.  Through the many retreats that she has directed over the years, she has helped to lead and guide our students in their faith journeys.  She has been a model of faith, integrity, and character; a person our students have looked up to as an example of how to live out the Gospel message of love for others,” said Kelli Kinnear, director of ministry and service.

“It’s not only the students who Sr. Nicole has influenced, but also the adults. There is a calmness and peace surrounding her that draws others to her and offers steadiness in difficult or chaotic situations,” she said.

“We will miss her incredible kindness, wisdom, and fun sense of humor. With her passion for working for social justice, she will continue to do great things in the next journey that God has planned for her.”

Sr. Trahan also enjoyed the relationships created while at CJ.

“Being a part of the CJ community has been such a gift for me personally and professionally,” said Trahan. “People often say that the CJ community is special. We hear that so often that it starts to sound cliche or we can start to take it for granted. But CJ is, indeed, unique.”

“Until coming here, I had not worked in a place in which I felt the sense of the faculty and staff all fully buying into the mission and vision of an institution. I came to understand what it means to share a common institutional mission and work together with others to bring it to fruition. Everyone brings their own perspective, experiences, and personality, but people work here because they believe in what we do, who we strive to be, and doing what is best for the students in our care. Working at CJ is a calling to which people respond. Not simply a job.”

Leaving will not be easy.

“The relationships I have with colleagues and the opportunity to work with young people at a critical time of their development

bring joy to my days — even when the days carry challenges, frustrations, and devastating losses. It is in those times that the strength of our community enables us to keep going.”

Now with a doctorate in education from Gonzaga University, Sr. Trahan will join other Marianists from around the world this summer, for a 10-week formation program for directors in Nairobi, Kenya.

“This program is designed to train the next formation directors and novice directors who will train new Marianists. I am a participant in this program and look forward to meeting Marianists from nearly a dozen different countries. I am the only participant from the United States,” she said.

Afterwards, she will return to Dayton to reconnect before traveling to San Antonio, TX in January to begin the Ministry to Ministers Sabbatical Program at the Oblate School of Theology where she will engage in a time of “sabbath rest and renewal” as she discerns her next steps.

“I am also looking forward to spending a little more time with my dad who lives on the Texas Gulf Coast,” she said.

In May, she will spend six weeks with Marianist Sisters in Latin America. “After that, I hope to have more clarity about how and where God is leading me.”

. . .

Others who are moving on from CJ at the end of this school year with our gratitude are: Megan Fink, counselor (2 years);  Jackie Washington, math (1 year); Andrew Villarreal, math (1 year); Bonnie Walter, science (2 years); and Amelia Rone, art (K12 Gallery & TEJAS partnership).