Benet Academy has reversed course and offered the head coaching job of the girls lacrosse team to Amanda Kammes, an alumna of the Lisle-based Catholic high school who had seen the job offer rescinded after officials learned she was in a same-sex marriage.
The school said in a statement that Kammes has accepted the offer.
News of the evaporating job offer sparked a protest among Benet students, parents and alumni, and when the school’s board met Monday, it determined that “Ms. Kammes’ background and experience made her the right candidate for the position,” the school said in a statement.
“We had an honest and heartfelt discussion on this very complex issue at our meeting,” it said. “Going forward we will look for opportunities for dialogue in our community about how we remain true to our Catholic mission while meeting people where they are in their personal journey through life. For now, we hope that this is the first step in healing the Benet community.”
The school had no further comment.
Kammes said in a statement Tuesday that it has been 20 years since she “walked the hallways of Benet Academy, and yet, never in my life have I been prouder to be a Redwing.”
“The past week provided a chance for Benet to rally together in the name of community, sportsmanship, and social change, and I’m beyond grateful that Benet reconsidered their decision,” Kammes said.
“Throughout the past few days, my hope is that the LGBTQ+ community at Benet and other Catholic institutions felt supported, loved, and know that they are not alone,” she said. “You are part of a community — as students, athletes, and friends — and I am your ally and will continue to be one.”
The school’s reversal came after about 40 alumni, parents and students gathered outside the school Monday in support of Kammes, whose job offer was rescinded when she listed her wife as an emergency contact in her onboarding paperwork.
Supporters presented Benet officials with a petition that included more than 4,000 signatures, decrying the high school’s decision to withdraw its job offer to the coach, who they described as “eminently qualified.”
Tim Jacklich, a 2016 graduate of Benet Academy who helped organize the petition and rally, said Tuesday he was proud that the support shown to Kammes sent a message to the school, and is excited about her potential to have a positive influence on the community.
“She is certainly a very impressive coach, and I think will help the Benet women’s lacrosse team make state,” he said. “But also the example that she’s (set) for a very happy, out woman from the LGBT community is going to be so important, especially to kids who are still in the closet and don’t have a role model to look up to.”
Kammes has coached at several high schools and colleges, including teams that won two state titles while she was defensive coordinator at a Pennsylvania high school and an undefeated conference championship as head coach at another school, according to an online biography.
Colleen Savell, an assistant lacrosse coach at Benet who helped advocate for Kammes’ reinstatement, said Kammes is well known in the Chicago-area lacrosse community.
“I’m just so happy for the kids on the team and the student population of Benet overall,” she said. “It’s what’s right. And I think that this does show a powerful message to the LGBTQ community at Benet that they will be accepted.”
Benet officials had declined to comment last week on the reason for Kammes’ dismissal, instead issuing a statement saying, “Benet Academy respects the dignity of all human beings to follow their conscience and to live lives of their choosing.”
“Likewise, as a Catholic school, we employ individuals whose lives manifest the essential teachings of the Church in order to provide the education and faith formation of the young people entrusted to our care,” Benet spokesperson Jamie Moss said.
A similar situation to the one at Benet unfolded in 2014 at Holy Family Catholic Community in Inverness, when a longtime music director, Colin Collette, said he was fired from his job after he announced he was engaged to his male partner.
The Archdiocese of Chicago released a statement at the time saying it had consulted on the decision, and while it didn’t comment on personnel issues, “those that serve as ministers of the Church, including worship ministers, are expected to conform their lives publicly with the teachings of the Church.”
For 2014 Benet alumnus Conor Kinney, Kammes’ hiring is one step toward helping queer students at the school feel comfortable, but more work remains, he said Tuesday. He described feeling like he couldn’t be out as gay as much as he wanted to be when he attended school there, as if he had only one foot out of the closet, he said.
“I think the most important thing is making sure that all students of any gender or sexuality feel completely comfortable with being open and honest with who they are, because school is a place for you to be able to learn about yourself and learn about the world,” he said. “And if you’re kind of hiding who you are, there’s not as much learning that can be happening there.”
The show of support for Kammes has also been affirming to Kinney. He is ready to return from the Quad Cities, where he now lives, to celebrate at Benet’s homecoming this weekend, which he is planning to attend with other family members who went to the school.
Kammes said in her statement she was “humbled” by the outpouring of support.
“This community is full of highly intelligent, driven, socially aware and passionate people who will always stand up for what is right,” she said. “I am encouraged, ready to move forward, and coach Benet’s girls’ lacrosse team to success on and off the field. GO REDWINGS!”
![Glencoe residents will have a nearly $15 million decision to make this fall on whether they want to fund a series of improvements proposed by the Park District. The Park District board unanimously voted July 17 to put a 25-year, $14.7 million bond sale referendum on the November 2024 ballot. “The proposed bond referendum would protect and improve some of our most important assets,” Park District Executive Director Lisa Sheppard said. Among the changes envisioned is a replacement of beach playground equipment, an enhanced interior at the Safran Beach House and greater accessibility to the beach and boardwalk with new […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/PPN-L-GLN-parkdistrictreferendum-072524-01.jpg?w=467 "Glencoe residents will have a nearly $15 million decision to make this fall on whether they want to fund a series of improvements proposed by the Park District. The Park District board unanimously voted July 17 to put a 25-year, $14.7 million bond sale referendum on the November 2024 ballot. “The proposed bond referendum would protect and improve some of our most important assets,” Park District Executive Director Lisa Sheppard said. Among the changes envisioned is a replacement of beach playground equipment, an enhanced interior at the Safran Beach House and greater accessibility to the beach and boardwalk with new […]")
