PROVIDENCE — The diocesan Catholic Schools Office has announced the appointment of ten new administrators for the 2015-2016 school year, including seven principals, two assistant principals and one academic dean. The administrators will continue to strengthen Catholic education through their leadership in elementary, middle and high schools around the diocese.
Dan Ferris, superintendent of schools for the diocese, said the administrators will further the Church’s mission of providing quality, faith-based education for as many children as possible.
“We’re not wavering on our mission. Catholic education is as needed today as it ever has been,” he said. “We’re pushing forward. We have a great team this year.”
One of the team’s greatest strengths is its depth of experience working in Catholic schools. The majority of the new administrators have spent many years teaching in a Catholic school setting, a quality that will make for an easy transition to administrators of spiritual as well as educational communities.
“These are educators who have been in the diocese and come through Catholic schools. They already have a good understanding of our mission and ministry, and they’re ready to step in and be a spiritual leader,” said Ferris.
Andrew Brassard, new principal of St. Augustine School, Providence, has not only taught there since 1997; he also attended the pre-K–8 school as a child.
“This is what provided me with my early education,” he said. “It’s where I developed as a teacher for many years and as an administrator. It’s a chance to give back to my school that’s helped me so much.”
Brassard said his students sometimes ask him to share stories about the school when he was a student. Over the years, he got to know students while serving as basketball coach, vice principal and middle school math teacher.
“It’s important for students to respect you and understand that you’re there to help them,” said Brassard. “I had a great experience, and I want them to have one. I want them to feel comfortable and safe.”
The new administrators gathered at the chancery building for a training session on Wednesday, July 22. Ferris said he was immediately impressed by the range of talent and experience demonstrated during the workshop.
“We just sit back and are amazed,” he said. “Our teachers are not only good at what they do, but they love their students and work. They do a lot with a little year after year.”
Declining enrollments — and the declining budgets that come with them — have plagued Catholic schools around the country for several years, but Ferris said the team of administrators was prepared to meet the challenges facing them. With their backgrounds in teaching and school administration, they are capable of addressing the issues facing Catholic schools without compromising on the quality of education.
“Catholic schools have been fighting for a long time. We have a legacy that we want to continue to build on,” said Ferris. “Leadership is so important in any team. We have that this year. Kids are the beneficiaries. We’re changing children’s lives.”
In addition to the new administrators, two previous principals received new appointments for the 2015-2016 school year. Shawn Capron, former teacher and principal at Father Holland School, Pascoag, will serve as principal at Monsignor Gadoury School, Woonsocket. Dr. John Finnegan, former principal at All Saints Academy, Middletown, will serve as principal at Monsignor Matthew F. Clarke School, Wakefield.
Dr. Finnegan said he looks forward to serving at Monsignor Clarke School, where new project-based learning initiatives seek to increase collaboration between teachers across grades and disciplines and hand-on activities for the students.
“I think the job of a principal is to be an adaptive leader and know when you have to make a unilateral decision, as in an emergency, versus when to obtain consensus and collaboration,” he said. “It’s about empowering the staff and providing them with the resources to achieve their potential.
