Vic Bell to be honored as Helias Catholic’s staff member of the year
Victor Bell wants his students to realize how much he appreciates them.
“They’re amazing,” said Mr. Bell, who’s in his seventh year as a member of the Helias Catholic High School faculty in Jefferson City. “They bring a lot of joy, and they’re the reason I do what I do.”
Helias Catholic and the Foundation for the Benefit of Helias Catholic High School will honor Mr. Bell as its 2023 Staff Member of the Year during its Celebrate the Legacy event on March 4.
“When they told me about it, I was crazy, humbled and shocked,” said Mr. Bell. “We have some incredible, dedicated teachers here. I don’t put myself on a level with them.”
The school’s faculty nominated candidates and voted on the award, with some input from students.
“It was a very tight race,” Mr. Bell noted. “We have some real legends here.”
Challenge accepted
Mr. Bell teaches Freshman Civics and Government, Advanced Placement (AP) American history and a summer section of geography at Helias Catholic and serves as Head Coach of the Freshman Boys’ Basketball team and Assistant Head Football Coach.
His most popular class is AP history, for which students can receive college credit after passing a challenging standardized test.
“It’s pretty intense,” he said.
Some students sign up to take the class as juniors after having Mr. Bell for civics and government as freshmen.
“Sometimes, I think they come into this with a bit of nostalgia from Freshman year,” he stated. “So it’s a bit of a shock that first month, when you realize you’ve gotten into such a high-level course.”
Many tell him they’re signing up for AP History because he’s teaching it.
“I take that as a terrific honor,” he said. “But I tell them up-front that it’s going to be hard. They rise to the occasion and do a great job with it.”
This is his third year teaching the class.
“Our country has always been evolving and changing,” he stated. “It’s always fun to teach it.”
A new state law went into effect last year, requiring in-state colleges to award college credit to students who score a 3 out of 5 or higher on the AP test.
“That’s been a game-changer for this course,” said Mr. Bell.
Civic engagement
Born in Torrance, California, Mr. Bell graduated from Matthew Fontaine Maury High School in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1988.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History Education from Central Methodist University in Fayette.
He previously taught and coached at Moberly High School for nine years and Boonville High School for one year.
He and his wife Kristin have two children, Keegan age 12 and Kenslee age 7. They are members of St. Peter Parish in Jefferson City.
He received the Jefferson City News-Tribune’s Fisher Family Good Samaritan Award in 2020, the same year the graduating seniors voted him to be their commencement speaker.
He was once accustomed to seeing students’ and parents’ interest in STEM subjects — science, technology, engineering and math — dwarf their enthusiasm for history and civics.
“For my first decade in, not too many people cared much about American history,” he stated. “Of course, it always mattered, but people weren’t talking about it much.
“It’s quite a bit different now,” he noted. “Our social climate has changed in the past year or two, especially pertaining to social history.”
Mr. Bell enjoys helping people understand and appreciate how their government works.
“I’ve had a lot of students and parents tell me they just don’t understand civics,” he said. “And that’s okay. You just break it down to the bare bones for them, and they learn it.”
He takes a loving but nuanced approach to American history, a subject that lately tends to generate headlines and polarize factions.
“We say in all of our classes, you can look at anything under a microscope and see all the bad stuff,” said Mr. Bell. “But you also take a step back and look at the big picture, and you see that American history is a very good thing.”
He advocates for an honest assessment of the past, “not picking out every negative thing, but just looking and saying, ‘This is where we were, this is where we are and this is where it looks like we’re going,’” he said.
He enjoys watching his students wake up to history.
“It’s a slow process,” he observed. “The class starts off kind of slow. Then the questions start flowing and they get excited about it all.”
Common interests
Mr. Bell believes staying organized and forming positive relationships with students are keys to success.
“They can see right through you if you’re not prepared,” he noted, “so you better know your content, and you’d better have a game plan.”
Building strong relationships with students can be challenging.
“You’ve got to get to know them and meet them where they are,” he said. “If they’re interested in something, you want them to know that you’re interested in that, too.”
This means paying attention to their activities, whether they’re into sports, band, choir, gaming or other pursuits.
“That’s a trick of the trade I’ve learned,” said Mr. Bell. “When you get to know them from the level of what’s going on outside the classroom, that helps them absorb more of the information you want to share with them.”
Just saying hi somewhere outside class goes a long way, he noted.
He’s convinced that he’s also teaching whenever he’s coaching.
“Our job is to take a freshman and help mold him by the time he’s a senior into a productive adult,” he said.
He noted that varsity Head Football Coach Chris Hentges sets a high bar for excellence on the field as well as in the community and in the players’ faith lives.
“We have Bible studies,” Mr. Bell noted. “We have a lot of involvement with the school’s Leadership Council. We understand that it’s not just about sports. We have to have to help them be involved and well-rounded.
“That helps us on the field and on the court,” he said.
Seeking balance
Mr. Bell sets a high bar for himself and his students.
“The hardest part,” he stated, “as much as I love investing in my students, is that when you do that at a high level, you have to make some sacrifices.”
His family sometimes joins in making those sacrifices.
“I’ve missed some of my son’s games and my daughter’s riding and swim lessons,” he said. “They spend a lot of time watching me do my thing, but they don’t always get all of me.
“I’m really conscious of that now, especially as they get older, of the need to find balance,” he stated. “I try to make up for that time, sometimes you can’t.”
He believes he’s done a better job these past two years of setting aside time for his family.
“I have to be here for the students and also for my family,” he said. “Being a dad and a husband has to come first.”
With the end in mind
Mindful that many Helias Catholic High School graduates go on to hold positions of influence in their communities, Mr. Bell wants each of his students to have “a great experience of understanding history and where they fit into it.”
His goal is to help them become balanced, well-rounded citizens.
“The challenge to them is how are they going to write their story? What will their impact be?” he said.
He prays with his students before class, before practices and before games.
“And they’re in my prayer intentions all the time,” he said. “Every student deals with some sort of problem or issue or scenario. They’re looking for impact, for help, for someone to give them that voice that guides them through it.
“I’m hoping and praying that I’m helping with that,” he said.
Mr. Bell asks for prayers for “consistency, for passion and for joy and understanding that what I do does matter in that construction of our Catholic community.”
To people who are considering becoming educators, he recommends patience and dedication.
“Find your joy,” he advised. “It’s going to be a lot of long hours. You’ll experience a lot of wins and a lot of losses.
“Everything gets better with time,” he noted, “so be sure you’re in for the long haul.”
