Nine recognized at 2024 Professional Day

Published: October 8, 2024

The 87th annual Arkansas Catholic Schools Professional Day was held Friday, Sept. 27 at Christ the King School in Little Rock. This year's theme was: "Lessons for the Journey." Father Juan Guido, pastor of Christ the King Church, celebrated Mass at 9 a.m. Ten priests from across the Diocese of Little Rock concelebrated the Mass assisted by Deacon Jason Pohlmeier, principal of St. Joseph School in Fayetteville.

Nine Catholic school staff members were recognized for 25 years of service in Catholic schools after the Mass. They are principal Kathy Lorince, Holy Rosary, Stuttgart; assistant principal Paige Coppola, St. Joseph, Fayetteville; and teachers and staff members Bonnie Kline, Blessed Sacrament, Jonesboro; Mary Jo Suski, Our Lady of the Holy Souls, Little Rock; Kathy Hoelzeman, Ray Nielsen and Lum Wilhite, St. Joseph, Conway; Kristi Brackett, St. Vincent de Paul, Rogers; and Kimberly Hamling, Sacred Heart, Morrilton.

The day also included a keynote speaker, professional development sessions and fellowship. Vendors were available to allow educators to view products of interest. All Catholic schools were closed to allow teachers to participate.

Catholic speaker and author George Valadie delivered the keynote presentation, “Lessons Learned and Perspectives Gained: Remembering Why God Called Us." Valadie holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Notre Dame University and a master’s degree in secondary administration from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Originally a teacher and coach, he has served as a principal, school president and director of alumni and development. Recently he came out of retirement to serve as interim superintendent of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Knoxville.

Teachers picked up box lunches and took them to “lunch and learn” sessions, which were grade level and subject level roundtable discussions. High school and some junior high teachers attended a session on human trafficking followed by “A Look Into the Human Brain” by Dr. Katie Walker. This session provided insights into what is happening inside a student’s brain during moments of communication, discipline or stress.

A wide variety of break-out sessions were offered in the afternoon from 1:15 to 2:15 p.m., which included sessions on artificial intelligence, teacher team meetings, Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) MAP Growth data literacy, integrating the Catholic faith across curriculum, classroom management, STEM, Project Learning Tree, battle of the books, cyber and Internet safety, preventing bulling, managing small group instruction, de-escalation, Theology of the Body, math and language arts.

This event is sponsored by the diocesan Office of Catholic Schools. For more information, contact Ileana Dobbins, associate superintendent of Catholic schools, at (501) 664-0340, ext. 322.