St. Cecilia Educator Selected to Attend ACE
St. Cecilia Educator Selected to Attend ACE Leadership Program at the University of Notre Dame
ST. LOUIS, MO. June 27, 2014– Today, Mary Carlson, an educator from St. Cecilia School and Academy will begin earning her Master of Arts in Educational Leadership through the Alliance for Catholic Education’s Remick Leadership Program at the University of Notre Dame.
The Remick Leadership Program prepares future school leaders by teaching them how to manage school resources, implement rigorous academic programs, and build robust Catholic school communities. It is the largest of its kind in the United States and has prepared over 250 aspiring Catholic school leaders who lead and shape Catholic schools in 38 states and 82 dioceses around the world.
Carlson’s classes for the summer include:
- Instructional Leadership I, II, III
- Executive Management I, II, III
- School Culture I, II, III
- Integrated Leadership I, III, & V
Carlson answered the call to lead after a peer suggested she would make a great principal. She then bought a notebook and began talking with other administrators and teachers. She also kept prayers, thoughts, and scriptures in her journal as she considered the decision. Â Joe Kilmade, principal at St. Cecilia School and Academy, also supported Carlson as she made her decision.
“I actually learned about the program through Joe, who went through program a few years ago. He has been incredibly supportive throughout the entire process, and will serve as my mentor. I will also be able to do my action and research project at the school,” said Carlson.
The path Mary Carlson took to become an educator was not typical. She graduated college with a degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois-Campaign before joining the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and finding herself at an orphanage in Mexico.
“It was there I realized I loved working with kids and building relationships,” said Carlson.
After, she was placed as a volunteer at the St. Cecilia School and Academy, which further fueled her interest in education.
“I decided to become an educator and enrolled in the Remick Fellowship program at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota,” she said.
It took her one year to earn her Master of Arts in Instruction. She then came back to St. Cecilia School and has served as an educator there for the past four years. The first three years teaching reading and writings. The past year teaching writing and mathematics.
This is not the first time Carlson has been encouraged to earn a leadership role. She is also a member of the Potential Leader program through the Archdiocese of St. Louis – Catholic Education Office.
For more information regarding this release, please contact Julie Linder, Public Relations for Access Academies, (573) 268-0639.
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