Parents, parishioners and school staff will have an opportunity to meet the three finalists for superintendent of the new Catholic Community Schools system on Tuesday, March 7, at St. Augustine Church in St. Cloud.
The finalists for the position are: Mike Mullin, president of Cathedral High School in St. Cloud; Anne Penny, principal of St. Charles Catholic School in Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Kevin Powers, principal of St. Margaret of Scotland School, Chicago.
The candidates will introduce themselves and answer questions during two separate sessions. The first session, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., is intended for school principals, parents, parishioners and members of the superintendent search committee. The second session, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., is for school faculty and staff, parents, parishioners and CCS board of directors.
“All three individuals are excellent candidates with a strong commitment to Catholic education,” said Linda Kaiser, director of the Catholic Education Ministries and a member of the search committee. “We look forward to meeting the candidates and getting input from our different constituencies to help the Catholic Community Schools board of directors select a superintendent who can help our member schools collaborate further and grow into a premier regional school.”
Schools participating in Catholic Community Schools are All Saints Academy (St. Cloud and St. Joseph campuses), Cathedral (St. Cloud), Holy Cross (Pearl Lake), St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (St. Cloud), St. Francis Xavier (Sartell), St. Katharine Drexel (St. Cloud), St. Mary Help of Christians (St. Augusta) and St. Wendelin (Luxemburg).
Bishop Donald Kettler initiated the idea for creating the new school system as a way to increase collaboration and keep Catholic education in the St. Cloud metro area academically and spiritually strong and financially viable. The 2016-2017 school year is a transition year for the CCS system, which is expected to be operational for the 2017-2018 school year.
A superintendent search committee was formed last October. The three finalists were selected after a nationwide search that garnered 14 applications from individuals with a range of experience from large and small dioceses. The search committee will use feedback from the March 7 gatherings to help it make a recommendation to the board of directors; Bishop Kettler will make the final decision and appoint the superintendent.
St. Augustine Church is located at 442 2nd St. SE. For more information, contact Linda Kaiser at 320-251-0111.