By Nancy Erikson, Features Editor
BEDFORD-Maybe it’s the biologist in him. Roger Abood understands that it takes time and nurturing for a seed to grow and evolve.
Or maybe it’s the family man in him. He knows the satisfaction of sticking to a long-term relationship.

'It's been a blessing in every possible way. I'm really in love with this place.'

Then again, maybe the reason Principal Abood has spent the entire 40 years of his education career at St. Peter Chanel High School is that he liked it there so much he just never really wanted to leave.
“It’s been a blessing in every possible way,” said Abood, who will retire at the end of this school year as president and principal at Chanel. “I’m really in love with this place.”
The Chanel community loves him too. This year, the school is celebrating Abood’s time with them and wishing him a fond farewell.
A native of Cleveland Heights, Abood, 64, came to the school in 1967 to teach physical science and chemistry. He said he has always enjoyed the sciences, particularly anatomy and physiology, and participating in the lab work. He even worked as a surgical lab technician at St. Alexis Hospital while earning his undergraduate teaching degree at John Carroll University. While at Chanel, he also taught biology, anatomy and physiology, and earth and space science.
“Sciences are so important to developing the world,” Abood said. “To teach something that was constantly evolving and constantly changing was exciting for me. You can never get stale.”
Making sure things never got stale was one of the challenges Abood enjoyed most about teaching science courses at Chanel for the first 20 years he was there. He particularly looked forward to the demonstrations in the school laboratory and the challenge of keeping up with scientific discoveries as they were happening.
He also was known for his sense of humor. A 1974 yearbook has a mock photo essay of his class “passing out” from a “chemical reaction” in class.
Aside from the actual science, Abood said he also enjoyed allowing the students to “get off track” and debate about current events as they related to what they were learning in class. As a teacher he always encouraged his students to think critically and consider all possibilities before drawing conclusions—whether in the lab or in their lives.
“The best part was just talking about the times,” he said. “They were very insightful people. They were very bright kids.”
A first generation Lebanese American and Maronite Catholic, Abood also encouraged his students to stretch their minds when studying science, particularly when it came to how science fit with their faith.
“Science can’t explain everything,” he said. “Without faith, we’re stymied by some things. As wonderful as science is, the limits it places on us can only be overcome by faith.”
It was in 1984 that Abood, who also was the school’s varsity baseball coach, was encouraged to step in as assistant principal. He held the job for three years before being named principal in 1987. He was made president in 2000 after the diocese reorganized to add more development duties to the position.
Abood said that although he missed being in the classroom full time, he felt becoming an administrator was a way to use his talents and skills for the betterment of the Chanel community. He was instrumental in helping the school transition from teaching all boys to having a mixed student body of young men and women in the late 1980s. He also has helped raise funds for capital improvements and keeping up with academic standards.
“I like challenges,” he said. “I thrive on the opportunity to improve a situation.”
Abood said he also always felt grateful to his family that he could attend Catholic schools growing up and wanted to help other families provide that for their children. He said he was inspired by the Marists who had taught him at Cathedral Latin High School and hoped he might be able to carry on their charism of education and devotion to Mary at Chanel, which was also connected to the Marists.
“I wanted to give back,” he said. “I thought I could continue that charism in their absence to the kids at Chanel.”
Abood said that during the last 40 years he has had the opportunity to work “with a very dedicated staff” and “amazing parents.” He also credited his wife, Kathleen, who is a registered nurse, for supporting him in his career.
“The sacrifices that parents make for their children to have a good education, I’m always impressed by it,” he said.
Still, for Abood being at St. Peter Chanel has always been about the students.
Aside from spending more time with his nine granddaughters, he said he hopes to spend this new phase of his life being of service to the next generation. He said he loves working with young people and hopes the students whose lives he’s been part of have enjoyed his time with them.
“They’re so vibrant,” he said. “They’re so amazing. They surprise you. They surprise you with the their kindness. They surprise you with their generosity. They’re all wonderful kids.”