Administrators meet in West Bend
By RENEE WEBB
Globe associate editor
Posted August 22, 2002

WEST BEND - Building Welcoming Communities was the theme of a retreat for Catholic school administrators held earlier this month.

Kevin Vickory, superintendent of Catholic schools in the diocese, pointed out that the theme was based on the U.S. bishops' pastoral letter titled Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity. He pointed out that Building Welcoming Communities will be the theme that they will weave throughout the entire school year.

It was a fitting theme, noted Sister Joan Stoffel, director of curriculum and instructional services, because of the diocese's emphasis on the importance of meeting the needs of all groups and celebrating diversity.

"The retreat is part of an ongoing process of providing the administrators with continued opportunities of faith formation for use in their personal lives and in their school," she said.

They stressed that through the retreat the administrators became aware of the diversity among them - diversity in gifts, talents and leadership talents.

"We looked at how we can meld those together so that we have a welcoming community that welcomes ethnic groups and new people," said Sister Joan.

Vickory pointed out that strangers are not necessarily only those individuals whom you've never met. He stressed the importance of creating a welcoming environment for all people.

"We need to also look for the hidden diversity and the hidden strangers," he said.

The retreat leader was Cynthia Wakeman, a business consultant and member of the Catholic Schools of Sioux City board.

Wakeman spoke of the importance of administrators recognizing hidden talents.

"Cynthia helped us to realize that it is not okay just to be an educational leader or manager. They have to be melded together with being a spiritual leader so that we can truly impact our community," noted Vickory.

Their work is based on their faith.

Sister Joan pointed out that in another exercise, they had to list, using one word, their particular gift, value and purpose.

"That also taught us about ourselves. We had different sharing activities where we expressed this so it helped us to get others on another level," she said.

This exercise allowed the administrators, Vickory noted, to see the diversity in their skills and gifts.

"After we had identified our personal purpose, we looked at how our own gifts work together for the gift of the community," he said.

During the retreat they also identified some of the obstacles to building a faith community, but realized that through their gifts - such as generosity and faith - they could overcome the obstacles.

Kristy Liechti, principal at Danbury Catholic, described the retreat facilitator as dynamic.

"The retreat offered an opportunity to reflect on oneself as a whole person," she explained. "There was a lot of self realization and self reflection."

Lorie Nussbaum, principal at Gehlen Grade School in LeMars, said Wakeman challenged them to look at being Catholic school administrators in a new way.

"She provided inspiration and encouraged us to reflect on how our own purpose fits into our work in Catholic schools," said Nussbaum.

She said she always looks forward to attending the retreat because it is one of the few times when the administrators can focus on getting to know each other better and build community as opposed to focusing on business.

Penny Miller, principal at Kuemper Catholic High School in Carroll, said, "The retreat was a wonderful experience for me. It was good to meet other Catholic school administrators and share concerns. The central message I came away with a variety of ways to build staff relationships and selling our Catholic education to others."

Along with the spiritual value, Liechti pointed out that the retreat was a good place to network and meet the other administrators at diocesan Catholic schools. This will be her first year working as an administrator for a Catholic school in the diocese.

She found the other administrators to be very welcoming. Many of them told her to call if she needed anything.

"The support system is definitely there," said Liechti.

The administrators were able to celebrate liturgy together with Father Craig Collison, president of Kuemper High School, as celebrant. In his homily, he outlined the affect of Catholic schools on his own life.

They were also given an evening tour of the Grotto of Redemption, guided by Deacon Gerald Streit.

As a culminating activity, the administrators were called by name and commissioned. For a remembrance, they were each given a stone bearing the word that represented the personal gift they had identified during the retreat.