CRANSTON — As St. Mary School prepares to celebrate 75 years of Catholic education, the community looks ahead to a bright, changing future. The school gained a new principal this year as Lisa Lapore stepped down at the end of last school year after 17 years. Newly appointed principal Erin Clark spoke to Rhode Island Catholic about the school’s future.
Clark herself is an alum, then took a job at St. Mary’s after graduating from Providence College with a bachelor’s in English and music. She then taught at St. Mary’s, later taking a job as principal of St. Joseph School in West Warwick before returning to St. Mary’s as a middle school teacher.
Now, armed with a master’s degree from Rhode Island College and an M.A. in Educational Leadership from the illustrious Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, Clark prepares to take the reins during a period of changing teaching methods and advancing technology.
“We’re really excited for some of the things that we’re working on, really trying to set the school in a good place for the future, that’s our main goal, so that St. Mary’s will continue to educate students for 75 more years and beyond,” Clark said.
St. Mary is a small school, with enrollment sitting around 175 students. This allows staff and parents to build “an active, thriving community.”
“When we survey parents, the one thing that always comes back to us is how well we foster community,” Clark said.
She pointed toward the parent-teacher group as a prime example of a connecting force at St. Mary’s—parents to other parents and students to their peers.
But she doesn’t take credit for the family atmosphere at St. Mary’s. She gives full marks to her predecessor, Lapore, for that.
Lapore, however, remains humble about her decades-long career in Catholic schools, at the former St. Leo the Great School in Pawtucket and then St. Mary’s, where she helped build community in many ways.
“I was outside every morning; I got to know the kids, the parents, the grandparents,” she said.
Monday mornings brought the whole school together in the gym for 15 minutes of prayer and fellowship, acknowledging the birthdays for the upcoming week and any awards or trophies that students wanted to display to their peers. She professed herself amazed at how the students grew from year to year at these assemblies.
One of the biggest community-building exercises came in the form of an event she brought over from St. Leo called Olympic Day.
“We built it into not only a sports event, but an educational aspect,” she stated.
Students would be grouped into nine or 10 teams and each teacher became a coach for their “country.” The school community held a large cookout in which “80% of parents were involved.” Looking back, Lepore loves to see how the program has grown through the years.
When she retired, the school community threw her a grand party, beginning with a “beautiful Mass” followed by a big celebration back at the school.
“What was overwhelming for me were the families that came back,” she remarked. One thing she noted was how graduates have returned as faculty, notably her niece and Clark’s daughter, who are now both teachers at St. Mary’s.
Before her retirement, however, she began working more and more with members of the parish to keep them invested in the mission of the school. She called parishioners “strong supporters” of St. Mary’s School and expects that Clark will continue building on this relationship.
The parish itself has been celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and the school has been a big part of that history.
“I just think it’s such a testament to the people who built our parish and school … that we have been educating kids for 75 years,” she said.
The administration at St. Mary’s looks forward to the future with a few minor but important changes. One is a reorganization of the school board into a chairpersons and subcommittees structure. Clark stated that: “We are so excited to be working with some people who are really experts in their field and who have a commitment to Catholic education and specifically to St. Mary’s. It’s a joy to work with them.”
A plethora of occupations are represented in the nine committees that make up the board, but all are members of the local community and have a vested interest in the education of the future generations. Clark calls the advice given by these men and women to be “invaluable” to her in her role as principal and she is optimistic about their assistance.
She spoke of “long-term sustainability” in terms of finances, curriculum and procedures, and the committee members bring their ideas and experience to achieve this goal.
“We’re really excited for some of the things that we’re working on and we’re really trying to set the school in a good place for the future; that’s our main goal, so that St. Mary’s can educate students for 75 more years and beyond,” she said.
Middle schoolers at St. Mary’s can anticipate a unique experience this year as well, with changes to the class structure. In addition to the required subjects, students have the option of various electives such as marine biology, theater arts and public speaking. These electives utilize the teachers’ talents and educational experiences to engage the students’ minds and broaden their interests in subjects not typically offered in elementary schools. They hope to expand the elective offerings in coming years.
Also new this year is WIN—“When I Need”—time, a mechanism for seeking help, Clark explained. She called it “study hall on steroids;” a time for students to advocate for themselves by asking for assistance in any subject they are struggling with. Teachers can also provide their students with individualized or small group help in this forum.
None of this could be possible without a strong foundation in Jesus Christ and His Church on earth. Parents explore Catholic education for the quality it brings, and to reinforce the faith their children receive at home. While not all of the students at St. Mary’s are Catholic, the exposure they receive to the Church can plant seeds that may see growth later in their lives.
“I think the opportunity to educate in a faith-based environment is such a gift,” Clark state. “God places us where we need to be, when we need to be there.”
