Funds to fuel school-specific initiatives and professional development for in-network assistant principal candidates
The Connelly Foundation has awarded a combined $110,000 in grant money to Independence Mission Schools through its Leader Impact Initiative.
St. Martin de Porres Catholic School will receive $20,000 to support the revitalization of its library and increase access to literacy resources within the classroom. St. Veronica Catholic School will receive $10,000 to acquire training and materials to support its Response To Intervention three-tiered system for learning. St. Helena-Incarnation Catholic School will receive $10,000 to support its “Sharing Our Stories” program, a social media club that lets students share stories through podcasts, videos, reels and other current media methods. And finally, Ss. Cyril and Philomena Catholic School will receive $20,000 to continue and expand external programming offered to students to promote academic and social-emotional growth.
The Connelly Foundation also awarded an additional grant in the amount of $50,000 to Independence Mission Schools to support teachers moving into assistant principal roles throughout the network. This grant will fund the professional development and training of 10 staff members within the network, preparing them for assistant principal and/or teacher leader positions.
The Connelly Foundation’s Leader Impact Grant Initiative invites current Catholic school leaders across the Archdiocese of Philadelphia who have participated in a leader development program sponsored by the Foundation to apply for a grant to advance the work of their individual schools. IMS leaders invited to participate in this initiative are alumni of the Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program at the University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education, or the Performance Partner or Neubauer Fellowship Programs offered by the Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders.
“We are thrilled to receive this grant,” said St. Cyril and Philomena principal and Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program graduate, Brigid McClelland. “The more resources we can put behind our mission, the more we can continue to educate the whole child: academically, spiritually, emotionally.”
“Ultimately, this is for our students,” said St. Helena-Incarnation principal and participant in the Philadelphia Academy of School Leadership’s Performance Partner Program, Nick Huck. “The Connelly Foundation’s commitment to helping Philadelphia-area Catholic schools thrive is game-changing for so many kids.”
“St. Martin de Porres is blessed to receive this grant,” said St. Martin de Porres Catholic School principal and Remick graduate, Jessica Lopez. “The Connelly Foundation’s Leader Impact Grant gives us the opportunity to increase exposure to books and literacy resources in an effort to improve student growth and support students in becoming confident readers.”
“I personally want to thank everyone at the Connelly Foundation,” said St. Veronica assistant principal and Remick graduate, Kathleen Hollander. “Grants like these show that they believe in the life-changing impact of a Catholic school education as much as we do.”
“There is a huge opportunity to develop assistant principals from within the network,” said IMS director of school leadership and Neubauer Fellow, Stephen Janczewski. “Over 90 percent of our principals are hired from within the network while just 50 percent of our assistant principals are. Our goal is to fill 75 percent of our open assistant principal positions with network candidates within three years.”