Thriving at St. John's School

By ELISA McCLURE

Thank you for acknowledging St. John the Baptist Catholic School and our principal, Nancy Jordan in the Napa Valley Register on May 21. As a parent at St. John's, I was pleased to see an interest in our school and the remarkable year we are about to complete. I think this is a story that the entire Napa community can appreciate. However, more detailed and complete information is needed to fully capture the wonderful things that have happened this year.

I'd like to elaborate on the qualifications of our principal. Last summer, Nancy Jordan accepted the position of assistant principal at St. John's. She brought with her more than 15 years experience in education. Mrs. Jordan is also a licensed educational psychologist, holds an M.A. in school psychology and will be completing a second M.A. in educational leadership this summer. She has multiple educational and administrative credentials.

It is true that on the second day of school she became the acting principal. It was only in January, after a strenuous review process that she was named permanent principal. I'm sure any school administrator would agree that taking the reins at the start of the school year, without the summer or even a day to prepare, is a daunting task. What has been accomplished since then makes a compelling story.

Your article touched on some of the challenges the school faced this year, including the New Year's Eve flood. That event was not only a financial burden, but prompted the necessity to close the school for a week to facilitate clean up and ensure a safe environment for our children. Mrs. Jordan's leadership and our strong parent and parish community got us through that difficult time.

In reference to a Department of Social Services issue, it should be noted that was a case of the California Department of Education and the Department of Social Services not sharing documents and coordinating efforts. You see, this year St. John's introduced a new pre-K program that is taught by credentialed teachers and which follows the state curriculum. As with many government bureaucracies, the state of California was a bit slow in adjusting to this new and positive change in education.

Speaking of education, St. John's teachers are fully qualified, credentialed, talented and extremely dedicated. The school itself is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges/Western Catholic Education Association. In addition to following the California curriculum standards, St. John's continues a 93-year tradition of developing the whole child in a safe, nurturing, and faith-filled environment.

Establishing the above-mentioned pre-K program was Mrs. Jordan's primary focus as assistant principal. Now, with the school year coming to an end, this innovative program has proven to be tremendously successful. Soon, 24 extremely well-prepared pre-K children will be moving on to kindergarten. But, success is not limited to our youngest students. Shortly, our eighth graders will graduate and move on to high school buoyed by their experience here. It was our eighth-grade class that led a fundraising drive to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and through their leadership, the entire community focused on helping others. The children of St. John's adopted a school damaged by the hurricanes, St. John's in Gulfport, Miss., while two classes sponsored coat drives for local children and adults. These are just a few examples of a year full of good deeds and community service.

We are truly blessed to be part of such a strong community. This was evidenced at our "One Heart at a Time" gala fundraiser. It was our most successful so far, as more than 200 parents, faculty, parishioners, and members of the Napa community came together to support the school's educational needs. This year has indeed been a wild rollercoaster ride, but truly a marvelous adventure. St. John School did not merely survive the year, we thrived.

(McClure lives in Napa.)

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