New Catholic school administrators poised to accompany students on their faith journey

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This is part of a series of articles on new Catholic school administrators in the Jefferson City diocese:

“Whoever receives one child such as this in My name receives Me,” (Matthew 18:5).

The new and returning administrators of the Jefferson City diocese’s 37 Catholic elementary schools and three Catholic high schools are taking Jesus’s words to heart as a new academic year gets under way.

Eight are taking up new administrative roles in the diocese.

Here is how two of them got to this point:

Praying out loud

Leigh Ann Grant and her daughter became Catholic three years ago.

“Most of my life, I’ve always prayed silently,” said Ms. Grant, principal of Immaculate Conception School in Macon. “At the Catholic school, we pray out loud daily, and what a blessing that is to be able to do that.”

She will teach religion to grades 5 through 8 in addition to her administrative duties.  

“I have had a foundation of faith and Christian role models,” she said. “I have survived many life learning experiences with ups and downs. Through all of this, I have no doubt that the Lord is guiding me. I feel that it is important to let His light shine through me.”

Born near Kansas City, Ms. Grant moved several places with her family before arriving in Macon at age 15.

She graduated from Macon County R-1 High School and completed her undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Missouri.

Her parents, her brother and his family live in the Macon area, where her brother has been teaching at Immaculate Conception School for 14 years.

Her daughter is an I.C. graduate.

This will be Ms. Grant’s fourth year teaching at the school. She previously worked for MU Extension and for 17 years at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and taught high school for three years in Atlanta.

Several of her friends were Immaculate Conception parishioners, as were friends of her mother, who is a retired educator.

Ms. Grant believes the purpose of a Catholic school is to help form faith, service and leadership.

She said her first responsibility as a Catholic school administrator is to be a spiritual role model for the staff, children and community.

“Second, being a leader by listening and communicating with all of those involved in the school,” she added. “Thirdly, helping to facilitate a vision to continue the success of our school.”

Mentors in the education field have advised her to be firm, fair and friendly in the classroom, setting high expectations for all of the students; and as a leader to listen, be supportive and create an environment in which the mission would be successfully carried out even if she were not present.

Citing her own daughter’s success in high school after graduating from Immaculate Conception, she is convinced that Catholic education is foundational to the spiritual success of individuals and the community of faith.

“She is strong in her faith,” Ms. Grant stated. “It prepared her to accept all kinds of people, make good decisions in all kinds of situations and to know that there was a community of faith there for her if she needed them.”

Ms. Grant said that if a Catholic school does its job well, its graduates are kind, loving, successful leaders, who support their families, parishes and communities.

In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, “playing in the dirt,” reading books and spending time with her family.

She has been reading A Young Catholics Guide to Spiritual Warfare, by her pastor, Father William Peckman; and Veritas Conflict, a novel that addresses the presence of evil in the world and the power of prayer. She also takes time to meditate on the Bible verses in a daily devotional book called Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young.

Her favorite hymns are “Amazing Grace” and “Here I Am Lord.”

Her favorite Bible verses are Galatians 5:22-23 (“... The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law”), Jeremiah 29:11 and John 16:33 — all counseling against worrying.

Lately, her favorite prayer has been the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, seeking protection against evil in the world.

She also relies on the intercession of St. Jean-Baptist de La Salle, patron saint of education.

Ms. Grant asks for prayers for guidance for her and the school’s entire staff as they begin a new academic year.

“I pray for and ask for prayers for peace, patience and kindness,” she said.

To help God answer that prayer, people can pitch in willingly whenever asked, look for the positive side of things and “think about walking in someone else’s shoes,” she said. 

Close family ties

Nancy Shively is the first new principal in nearly four decades at Holy Rosary School in Monroe City.

Among the many fellow educators who have helped her along the way, she believes her predecessor, Dominican Sister Suzanne Walker, is “the best mentor there is.”

“Her guidance has been invaluable,” said Mrs. Shively. “From practical life lessons such as ‘never write in your calendar in pen’ or ‘it will all work out’ to invaluable faith lessons on how to handle situations, her guidance is priceless.”

Mrs. Shively added: “Her gentle, humble and faith-filled ways have been an example for me my whole life and to get the privilege of following after her is a blessing.” 

Mrs. Shively and her husband Joe have been married for 16 years and have four children, ages 15, 12, 8 and 6.

They live and work on their family farm and are lifelong members of St. Stephen Parish in Indian Creek.

Mrs. Shively worked in special education before moving to Holy Rosary School to teach science.

The school has always played an integral role in hers and her family’s lives.

“My mother graduated from Holy Rosary High School in 1962,” she said. “Many of my aunts, uncles and cousins as well as my eight siblings all graduated from Holy Rosary School.”

In college, Mrs. Shively returned to Holy Rosary to do some of her practicum hours under the same teachers who had taught her there.

“This school has given me the foundation of faith and education to shape me into the person I have become, and I am forever grateful for all those who have made Holy Rosary School what it is today,” she said.

She believes it is her privilege and responsibility as a Catholic school administrator to provide a Christ-centered academic environment “where students know and live out the faith so that they can become responsible and contributing members of society.”

“Catholic education is so important because it is vital that these students know Jesus and learn the foundations of how to become Christian disciples and to live out their faith in all activities of life,” she stated.

She said a Catholic school is doing its job when students go on to lead lives of stewardship, using the foundation of faith and education they have received. 

Mrs. Shively enjoys helping her husband on the farm in her spare time, “whether it is raking hay, doing cattle work, driving the grain truck or just helping in the day-to-day activities.”

She also enjoys being involved in youth activities, sports and any outdoor activity.

She recently read This Present Paradise: A Spiritual Journey with St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, by Claire Dwyer.

“This book spoke profoundly to me about the necessity of turning each present moment into an opportunity for holiness,” she said.

Some of her favorite saints for intercessory prayer are St. Anthony of Padua and St. Elizabeth of the Trinity.

Her favorite prayers are the Rosary and the Blessed Mother’s “Magnificat,” which begins: “My soul magnifies the Lord.”

Her favorite hymn is “How Can I Keep from Singing” and one of her many favorite Bible verses is Nehemiah 8:10 — “The joy of the Lord is my strength.”

She requests prayers, fasting, Rosaries and Masses for her and her fellow educators to follow God’s will in all that they do, “that these students may always know, love and serve our good and gracious God.”

People can help God answer those prayers by encouraging the teachers, students and staff with kindness and graciousness “as we do our best to serve and be good and faithful disciples.”

Mrs. Shively feels blessed and humbled by the new position she holds.

“Our faith and the future of our Church — the students, or ‘my kids’ as I like to call them — mean everything to me,” she said. “I am so excited to serve God and His children.”

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