The Journey - As humans, we are often more interested in the destination than we are in the journey. However, God has planned a unique journey for each of us as we work towards Heaven. Take time to find joy in the journey.
St. Stephen Catholic School has been a big part of my family’s journey. Our son started preschool at St. Stephens in 2003. Through the years, both of our children went all the way through St. Stephen from preschool to eighth grade. Currently, our son is finding his way in life through college and the experiences of work. Our daughter is starting her junior year at GSHS. We are proud of the good people that our children are, as well as their accomplishments. We are grateful to our St. Stephen’s Community for helping us to raise such well-rounded, intelligent and faith-filled young people.
I am beginning my eighth year as the principal of this gem of a school. Looking back, there have been some changes in the names and the faces over the years, as is the natural flow of all schools, but the heartbeat that drives our mission is still the same.
We are called to lead our students into discipleship through a rich understanding of the Faith and through living a virtuous life. The truth is found in that knowledge and in building a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, which will serve as a guiding light to our students throughout their lives.
Our teachers all possess the calling to teach children to become lifelong learners. However, we also challenge our students to not only know the skills of how to read, write and do arithmetic, but to also develop the reason and logic to understand why and to apply this knowledge to create anew.
Servant leadership is also something we intentionally teach our students at St. Stephen. Through our Service-Learning program, we are teaching our children to look at the problems in the world that they see around them, to seek solutions and to act upon them in a way that helps others and serves the greater good.
As our St. Stephen Catholic School Community grows, we also will continue to innovate and utilize the best instructional practices for our students. However, the heart of our mission that seeks discipleship, virtue, truth, faith, knowledge and service will continue to beat on.
As our journey continues, it’s important to remember that our best days are not behind us; our world today needs Catholic education. With Faith, Hope and Love we will make the ordinary into the extraordinary right here at St. Stephen. Together, we’ve got this!
Your Servant in Christ,
Mrs. Glenda Oliver, Principal