Archdiocesan principals hone leadership skills at academy

Mary Rochford, superintendent of schools, brainstorms at the Principals’ Academy with other officials from the archdiocesan Office of Catholic Education. From left to right are: Deborah Bachor, Kathleen Ganster and Sister Edward William Quinn, I.H.M.

By Christie L. Chicoine
CS&T Staff Writer

RADNOR — Summer school was in session July 7-11 for 35 archdiocesan elementary school principals.

And for that, their students should be grateful.

Administrators had their students in mind as they honed leadership skills at the Principals’ Academy, held on the campus of Archbishop John Carroll High School. At workshops led by representatives of the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE), educators examined essential skills for leadership learning in the 21st century. They also studied the creative side of leadership; what it takes to build a school culture that embraces rigor and relevance and how to support students who learn at high levels as well as how to meet the needs of struggling learners.

“It was an exhilarating experience,” said Roselee Maddaloni, principal of Holy Child Catholic School in the Manayunk section of the city.

“It was all geared toward the children,” she added. Maddaloni was moved by the statements, “No child should be given the impression that he or she cannot succeed” and “Every child should be considered gifted — we just have to find the gifts.”

The academy addressed many teaching musts for the 21st century. Rote memorization, the principals were told, is essentially a technique of the past. Today’s students need to be taught technology programs, critical thinking skills and integrated learning concepts — where each subject connects with the next. “Children are very visual, they’re hands-on — and they need to be able to learn in that way so that they can learn for life, not just for the test.”

St. Joseph Sister William Adele, principal of St. Luke the Evangelist School in Glenside, begins her 25th year as a principal this fall. For her, the academy was a “professionally enriching experience” and a way to keep ahead of the ever-changing world. “We’re educating children for jobs that don’t even exist yet,” she said.

Presenters told the principals: “You’re not preparing children for the next grade, you’re preparing them to be school-work-life ready,” Sister William said.

The ICLE is headquartered in Rexford, N.Y. Mary Rochford, the archdiocesan superintendent of schools, said the ICLE presenters “provide the framework for the skills adult workers will most likely need in the year 2015 and beyond. It is crucial that we are working on the correct skills with our students with this end in mind.”

The academy was limited to 35 principals. Those who attended were selected from a pool of applicants. During the upcoming school year, they will disseminate the information to their respective schools and to other educators across the Archdiocese at district meetings sponsored by the Office of Catholic Education.

The Connelly Foundation, a philanthropic organization headquartered in Conshohocken, funded the program. Additional support was provided through Title II Professional Development Funds.

For more information, visit the Web site, www.keepingfaithinmind.org or call the Office of Catholic Education at (215) 587-3700.

CS&T Staff Writer Christie L. Chicoine may be reached at (215) 587-2468 or cchicoin@adphila.org.

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