A cohort of 21 outstanding educators representing Catholic schools across South Jersey have recently embarked upon a two-year professional development journey designed to support their growth and further develop their leadership skills.
The A.R.I.S.E. Catholic Leadership Program was established “to build a robust pipeline of leadership talent across our Diocese,” said Dr. Sarah Kerins, assistant superintendent for school services for the Diocese of Camden.
“We recognize that exceptional leadership extends beyond the principal’s office – it includes vice principals, instructional coaches, department heads and teacher-leaders,” Kerins said. “By investing in these educators, we ensure our schools remain operationally sound, academically excellent and deeply rooted in their Catholic identity.”
The program is centered on a model that identifies five integrated components of holistic Catholic school leadership – academics, relationships, inspiration, strategy and excellence – with a commitment to continuous improvement.
Principals were asked to nominate outstanding members of their teams for the opportunity. The inaugural diocesan cohort includes representatives from these schools: Assumption Regional, Galloway; Christ the King, Haddonfield; Holy Angels, Woodbury; Holy Spirit High School, Absecon; Our Lady Star of the Sea, Atlantic City; Paul VI High School, Haddonfield; Resurrection, Cherry Hill; Saint Joseph, Somers Point; Saint Margaret, Woodbury Heights; Saint Mary, Williamstown; Saint Peter, Merchantville; Saint Vincent de Paul, Mays Landing; and Wildwood Catholic Academy, Wildwood.
Each year of the A.R.I.S.E. curriculum includes a distinct set of focus areas, with one year highlighting Catholic identity, governance and academics; and the other year focusing on operations, finance and sustainability. Individual modules cover topics like human resources and change management, student life and student handbooks, institutional stakeholders and relationships, budget and finance, tuition strategies, and strategic planning.
Candidates who complete the program will be awarded a certificate of completion from the Diocese of Camden.
One member of the first cohort, Megan Baker, serves as vice principal and teaches eighth-grade English and language arts at Resurrection Catholic School. Even after just her first session, Baker has already seen the benefits of the program.
“I have come away with thoughts and ideas about what it takes to be a successful leader in a Catholic school,” she said. “Much of what we spoke about centered on what Catholic schools are, what makes us different from other schools, and on personal discernment about what role we can play as potential leaders.”
Baker believes firmly in the important role that Catholic educators have to put Christ first in their own lives, and to nurture that same relationship among their students.
“By cultivating an environment where strong, faithful educators can hone their skills and discern what their vocation is, the Diocese is modeling the leadership that they hope to inspire,” she said. “This intentional leadership is what will lead any Catholic school to be successful, and this is why programs like this are essential.”
Another eighth-grade teacher, Melissa Brino, is part of the community of Saint Mary School in Williamstown. She has worked there for eight years and has been working within the Diocese of Camden for 23 years.
“The A.R.IS.E. program was introduced to me by my principal, and she asked me to consider applying to participate in this new initiative,” Brino said. “Based on the descriptions from the course titles, it is my hope that the program will expand my knowledge and understanding of the structures and functionality of Catholic schools.”
She has learned a great deal in the past through being part of curriculum development teams for science, English and language arts, and social studies – which allowed her to work with her fellow teachers to implement curricula and support her own classroom teaching. She is looking forward to working through the A.R.I.S.E. program and learning about more components of Catholic school leadership.
“Gaining any knowledge is valuable, and as such, exploring the inner workings of school leadership would be a valuable asset as a teacher,” she said. “I feel that training programs such as these can be valuable to enhance teacher involvement in the Diocese at large, and expand our views on how things are managed from the top down.”
Junior high math teacher Kathleen Dunn has been part of Christ the King Regional School since 1995. She considers her role as a Catholic educator to be especially rewarding given her school’s commitment to academic excellence, coupled with an immersion in Gospel values.
As a member of this year’s cohort, she is excited to learn more about Catholic school leadership.
“I hope to gain a better understanding of how Catholic schools run, and why we are vital to the communities in which we serve,” Dunn said. “I believe that training like this is important so that we keep our schools a unique, special and vibrant community for our students to learn and grow in faith and knowledge.”
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