In this podcast episode of the Catholic School Leaders, the guest is Rebecca Maesta Sanchez, a devoted Catholic school leader. She passionately discusses her leadership journey, her educational philosophy, and her unique approach to leading one of Albuquerque's most historical institutions, St. Mary's Catholic School. With a firm belief that Jesus should be at the center of education, Sanchez emphasizes the importance of creating a conducive learning environment where virtuous behavior is taught alongside academic skills. Moreover, she highlights the importance of cultivating strong teacher-student relationships, promoting teacher development, employing a collaborative approach in decision-making, and encouraging the personal development of staff members. Imparting a growth-oriented culture within the school, Sanchez underscores that she always encourages her staff to step out of their comfort zones, believing that it is in these moments that true growth happens. 

00:10 Introduction to the Guest: Rebecca Maesta Sanchez
01:21 Rebecca's Journey in Catholic Education
01:38 The Impact of Catholic Education
02:37 Creating a Great Workplace in Schools
03:50 The Importance of Collaborative Leadership
04:17 Building Relationships with Staff
06:55 Balancing Faculty Needs and School Goals
08:41 The Role of Culture and Perks in Schools
20:55 The Importance of Self-Care for School Leaders
22:56 Developing Teachers and Encouraging Flexibility
26:32 Creating a Positive School Culture

In this episode of the Catholic School Leaders Podcast, host John Mihalyo interviews Darrell Fulford, Principal of Saint Thomas More in Chapel Hill. They discuss the importance of forging a strong Catholic identity within the school culture.Darrell shares his personal journey from discovering the Catholic faith as a child to becoming an education leader driven by Catholic principles. He explains the influence of Catholic education in his life and emphasizes the importance of involving the parish community in school affairs. Darrell advocates for a collaborative approach to leadership, engaging faculty, staff, and parents to foster a conducive Catholic school environment.

02:00 Darrell's Journey to Catholicism and Catholic Education
05:09 The Importance of Catholic Culture in Schools
07:50 Nurturing Faculty in Their Faith
10:29 Promoting Partnership Between School and Parish Community
13:08 Challenges Faced by Catholic School Principals

In this episode of the Catholic School Leaders Podcast, host John Mihalyo welcomes Jason Curtis, the president of St. Francis High School in Santa Clara, California. Jason discusses his journey in Catholic education, from being a teacher and principal to holding the presidency of a high school. He shares his insights on cultivating student-centered practices and vision-driven approach in schools. Further, he highlights the importance of maintaining Catholic identity in all aspects of schools, from extracurriculars to athletics. Jason also talks about the need for thoughtful flexibility and intentionality in systems to effectively support student development and community involvement.

01:12 Jason Curtis's Journey in Catholic Education
02:38 The Role of Opportunities in Student Development
04:19 The Importance of Student-Centered Education
06:16 Creating a Vision and Empowering Students
09:56 Engaging Parents as Partners in Education
14:34 Building a Strong Connection with Students
18:51 Cultivating a Student-Centered Culture
29:27 Maintaining Catholic Identity in Schools
33:12 Leaving a Legacy in Catholic Education

In this episode of the Catholic School Leaders Podcast, host John Mihalyo interviews Dr. Dana Coyle, a renowned educational expert with over 30 years of experience. Coyle discusses the importance and benefits of inclusivity in Catholic schools for students with learning differences. She shares her own experiences while elaborating various key steps in the process such as conducting comprehensive assessments, implementing professional development for teachers, constructing inclusive school environments, establishing support teams and fostering parent involvement. Coyle emphasizes that while introducing an inclusive system may require budgetary considerations, the positive impact it would have on all students and the cohesion it can bring to the Catholic school community makes it a fruitful endeavor.

02:10 Dr. Coyle's Journey in Education

03:01 The Need for Inclusion in Catholic Schools

05:23 Addressing Misconceptions about Inclusive Education

09:38 Steps to Implement Inclusive Education

17:28 Addressing Resource Allocation for Inclusive Education

20:36 The Process for Identifying Learning Differences

In this episode of the Catholic School Leaders Podcast, host John Mihalyo discusses the topic of school choice with guest Brian Jodice, the Executive Vice President for Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina. They delve into various school choice programs such as vouchers, tax credits, and education savings accounts, and how they can be beneficial for parents and schools. They also address misconceptions and fears around these programs and provide practical advice for school administrators who might want to leverage these programs. Brian shares about the Opportunity Scholarship Program in North Carolina, how to navigate it, and how other states can implement similar programs.

02:16 Brian's Personal Journey and Passion for School Choice
07:12 Understanding School Choice Programs
09:57 Misconceptions about School Vouchers
13:05 How Schools Can Engage with School Choice Programs
21:44 The Future of School Choice
25:52 Steps for School Administrators to Take

Welcome to the Catholic School Leaders Podcast. This is John Mihalyo, the host. As Catholic school leaders, we should never walk alone in our journey to lead our schools.

This vocation that we have is critical to the success of our schools, not only now, but in the future. So the purpose of this podcast is to create an opportunity for us to learn from each other, to collaborate with each other, and to grow Catholic education for the future.

This podcast will keep our Catholic faith at the center of everything that we do, discussing timely issues for school leaders, as well as give you ways to improve your fundraising. Increase your enrollment and improve the overall operations at your school.

At Elementary Advancement Solutions, our goal is to work with and connect Catholic school leaders from all across the country to improve their schools.

I've served as a Catholic school principal for the past 15 years, worked at three different schools, including elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools as a school principal. I've overseen the creation of two advancement offices, and the schools that I've worked at have raised over $1.8 million in fundraising through special events, grants, annual funds, and other programs using the methods I teach my schools. In addition, I led a $6 million renovation to a Catholic high school, and the schools I've led have seen an increase in enrollment of 21%. 

We work with principals and school leaders on a variety of methods, including advancement support, which helps you with your fundraising, enrollment, and strategic planning.

Our mastermind groups provide school leaders from all across the country with the opportunity to meet with like-minded school leaders to discuss real world Catholic school problems that are specific to them.

For more information about the work that we do here at Elementary Advancement Solutions visit www.elementaryadvancement.com. 

Our podcast each week will bring. Real world principals and school leaders in a variety of different positions together to discuss issues that are relevant and timely to Catholic schools everywhere.

On the Catholic School Leaders Podcast, we're gonna keep our Catholic culture at the center of everything that we discuss for Catholic schools, as well as dive into issues of leadership, community engagement, operational vitality, workforce engagement, and individual student growth. Be sure to subscribe to this podcast wherever you listen to podcasts so that you can be informed whenever new episodes come out each week.