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diocesan associate director of education to leave diocesan post april 30

Story and photos by LIZ QUIRIN
Messenger editor

Sister Kathleen Koenen SSND, diocesan associate director of elementary education for the past nine years, will leave her position April 30 to take on a new challenge with 25 parishes and 15 elementary schools in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

Sister Koenen said she was hired by the schools and parishes to facilitate collaborative efforts among the groups.

At the end of the ninth year here, “I felt I had shared my gifts and I had accomplished the goals I set,” she said.
Two of her most prominent accomplishments included the state’s approval April 14 of a technology plan for the elementary schools in the diocese.

“They need the approval to get technology grants from the federal government,” Sister Koenen said.

Diocesan director of education, Tom Posnanski, praised Sister Koenen’s work in the diocese, especially the technology plan.

“Her leadership in developing the plan for all of the schools in the diocese will serve us for many years to come,” he said.

Among her other accomplishments, Sister Koenen “developed a diocesan accreditation program for all the schools in conjunction with state recognition,” Posnanski added.

Sister Koenen said she enjoyed her time in the diocese, especially working with the principals to “develop excellent programs for students in our care,” she said.

Her position here also posed challenges: the distance between schools outside the Belleville area made it difficult for the schools to work together on programs and projects.

Also, the high mobility of elementary school principals posed challenges in following through with programs started under a previous administrator.

Although a challenge, the planning with the Belleville school group has been completed with the merger of St. Mary’s with St. Augustine’s and the pairing of the remaining schools to collaborate, Sister Koenen said.
Sister Koenen’s position in St. Louis will be completely new. “It’s exciting,” she said.