BSCS Community Update - Principal Search Process

BSCS COMMUNITY UPDATE

January 25, 2024

Dear Blessed Sacrament Families, as many of you know, Mrs. Brooke Urban has made the decision to step down from her role as Principal of Blessed Sacrament Catholic School at the end of the school year. After six years of teaching and nearly five years of her leadership as Assistant Principal and then Principal at Blessed Sacrament, we are deeply sad to see her go. On behalf of the Blessed Sacrament community, I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation for all her sacrifices and hard work at our school in all these years. Her inspiring leadership, dedication, and commitment have positively impacted the Blessed Sacrament Community and contributed to its growth. We are saddened by her departure from our community, but we are also filled with hope for Brooke’s future endeavor. While it is hard to picture the day-to-day life of our school without her, we are hopeful that the Good Lord will provide another one to serve in that position.

Our parish and school community will begin the search for a new Principal starting next week. The Principal of a Catholic school is a missionary disciple of Jesus who, driven by authentic personal expressions of the Catholic faith, serves parents – the primary educators of their children in the ways of truth, faith, and morals. Further, as an agent of the Parish Pastor, the Principal serves the teachers, enabling them to be the geniuses of learning within their classrooms. The Principal is the heart of a school, leveraging all resources to benefit not only the children entrusted to our care but also the educators and the families who cooperate in our mission of education.

We have started our search process by creating a Principal Search Committee. The committee will broadly represent the school and parish community from the following stakeholder groups: parents, teachers, and parish staff. I have appointed Toni Vaeth, one of the Associate Superintendents for the Archdiocese of Denver, to chair the search for the Principal. She is quite experienced at running principal searches in the Archdiocese of Denver and has assisted several schools with the process. Furthermore, Toni and her family have been committed parishioners of Blessed Sacrament for 30 years, and she was a teacher at Blessed Sacrament School for nine years. She was also a principal for several years at another school before moving into her position at the Archdiocese as the associate Superintendent for the Catholic Schools. I have great faith that Toni will guide us seamlessly through this process.

Once the committee has been finalized, the members will collect community input regarding the needs of our school. Then, the committee will help with parent and teacher listening sessions as we begin to evaluate Principal candidates. Upon receiving the applications, the committee completes first-round interviews and necessary background checks of each candidate. The committee helps the Pastor select finalists, and holds second-round interviews, including an in-person day at the school and meetings with various stakeholder groups and students. The committee then presents me with a final recommendation, and I discern the best person to be the new Principal.

According to the Archdiocese Office of Catholic Schools, finding an excellent candidate typically takes about two to three months. This time of transition provides an opportunity for our school to engage in self-reflection. I recognize that change in a community is destabilizing, but we must note that God is the author of everything; He has chosen to bring us through this process, and we must have faith that He will never leave or forsake us. One of the most admirable things about Blessed Sacrament is our ability to get through things together as a community.

Please stay on the lookout for communication from the school and from Toni Vaeth regarding surveys and listening session dates, times, and locations. Please continue to pray for Mrs. Urban as she moves on to her next endeavor as the good Lord directs her. Please pray for me and the members of the Principal Search Committee as we discern the candidates who present themselves for consideration as the next principal of Blessed Sacrament. I do assure you my continued prayers as well.

In Christ,

Father John Ludanha

Assurance Statement of compliance with the purposes of the Title IX Education Act

The Catholic schools of the Archdiocese, under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop, and at the direction of the Superintendent, attest that none of the Catholic schools discriminate on the basis of sex in its admission policies, treatment of students or its employees.

Notice of Student Non-Discrimination Policy

The Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Denver, under the jurisdiction of Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila, S.T.L. and at the direction of the Superintendent, state that all of their Catholic schools admit students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to the students at the schools. Furthermore, Archdiocesan schools admit handicapped students in accord with the policy on Admissions, 4.2.1. These schools do not discriminate on the basis of race, age, handicap, color, national origin in the administration of their educational policies, employment practices, scholarship and loan programs, or athletic or other school-administered programs.