After serving as educator and administrator in area public schools, Ronald Ferraro, the new principal of Saint Michael the Archangel Regional School in Clayton, says, “Now, more than ever, I wholeheartedly support and uphold the teachings of Catholic school education and all that it offers.”
Due to COVID, “Our world as we knew it was completely upended not too long ago, and the journey ‘back’ has not always been the easiest,” Ferraro said. “Time, however, seems to help us in our quest to find normalcy – time that allows us all to realize how lucky we are to have ‘made it back.’ In addition, time also allows us to wonder about what is ahead: the ever-present unknown.”
This point in time, Ferraro opined, is where he believes a Catholic education is more important than ever.
“Many people, adults and students alike, have found a deeper need for connecting with our spiritual side,” the educator said. “We often find solace and grace during times of challenge. Catholic education not only provides academic challenges for students, but also provides the chance to explore the meaning of Christ in one’s life. The purpose of Catholic education is just that, leading our students to Jesus Christ.”
Ferraro – who with his wife, Marie, and three grown daughters are members of Saint Charles Borromeo Parish, Sicklerville – earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education, health and recreation from Seton Hall University, South Orange, and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Rowan University, Glassboro. He worked in the Glassboro public school system in Thomas E. Bowe School and others on intermediate levels – sometimes as interim principal – for 11 years before his retirement.
His foray into Catholic education was sparked by a friend and former colleague who urged him to apply to the position when it became known that the former principal was moving on to Paul VI High School, Haddonfield.
Speaking on the benefits of a faith-based education, he said, “A student in a Catholic school setting will find community, inclusion and the presence of faith every single day, [enabling him/her to] develop an intimate, lifelong relationship with Jesus. Just knowing the love and support that one will receive upon becoming a student at a Catholic school, a strong formation of faith and growth, will hopefully translate into meeting all of the needs a student may have.”
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