GASTONIA — Fifth-grader Caz Wilkinson (pictured) won St. Michael School’s school-wide National Geographic Bee for students in grades 4-8 Dec. 15. Fourth-grader Quinlan Hahn came in second place. The school was one of thousands of schools around the United States that participated in the 2017 National Geographic Bee program.
Wilkinson will move on to take a qualifying test. The top 100 scorers in North Carolina will then be eligible to compete in the state Bee on March 31. The state winners will go on to participate in the national championship Bee rounds May 15-17.
— Tammy Eason
GREENSBORO — At the request of Our Lady of Grace Church’s pastor, Father Eric Kowalski, the Diocese of Charlotte Catholic Schools Office will begin operating Our Lady of Grace School.
The decision to switch from parish to diocesan oversight follows the recent resignation of Amy Pagano, who had served as principal of the school since January 2015.
Under a plan presented to parents on Dec. 14, Kathleen Miller will relinquish her position as assistant superintendent of schools to serve full-time as the executive principal of Our Lady of Grace School.
Diocesan supervision of the school will last 18 months.
Miller, a life-long educator with a master’s degree and 38 years of teaching and administrative experience, is very familiar with the OLG community. She served as interim principal during the 2014 school year, when Principal Kurt Telford left to become principal at Charlotte Catholic High School.
The parents’ meeting was called to introduce Miller and to address parents' concerns over the future of the school following Pagano’s abrupt resignation in late November. OLG currently has 236 students enrolled in kindergarten through the eighth grade.
When Miller was introduced, she was greeted by a round of applause from the 200 parents in attendance at the meeting at Our Lady of Grace Church.
A similar greeting with nods of approval and applause occurred when Miller was introduced to the faculty and staff prior to the parents’ meeting.
“I look forward to getting back into a school,” Miller told the parents. She added that she wants teachers, parents and staff to work as a team.
According to diocesan Chancellor and Vicar General Monsignor Mauricio West, who also attended the meeting, the details of the relationship between the school and the diocese are still being worked out.
The diocese has 19 Catholic schools, educating more than 7,200 students from preschool to the 12th grade.
The schools operate under three different models. Nine are parish-based schools, such as St. Leo School in Winston-Salem and Immaculata School in Hendersonville. Nine operate within the Charlotte region as Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools. Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville is a diocesan-based high school.
Diocesan officials said Our Lady of Grace School will most likely operate as a hybrid of the existing models.
At the parents’ meeting Dr. Janice Ritter, diocesan schools superintendent, reiterated the commitment on the part of the diocese for the school to succeed.
“One thing that came through clearly (at the meeting) is the great love everyone has for Our Lady of Grace School,” Ritter said.
Said one parent who attended the meeting, “I came here with a lot of questions and concerns, but appointing Mrs. Miller has answered all of them.”
— David Hains, director of communication