Diocese of Rockford names Pope St. John Paul II Catholic Academy administrators
The Catholic Diocese of Rockford has announced two lead administrators for the newly formed Pope St. John Paul II Catholic Academy in Aurora.
Sister Ann Brummel, O.P. has been hired as the first head of school for the Academy and Karen Behrns will be the academy's first principal. Sister Ann Brummel, O.P. is a member of the Springfield Dominican Order and has more than 40 years of experience in Catholic education both as a teacher and an administrator.
Sister Ann served as the principal of Rosary High School in Aurora from 2013-17 and as the principal of St. Peter School in Aurora from 2002-2013. She is currently completing a sabbatical year of spiritual and professional renewal.
As the head of school, Sister Ann will be responsible for promoting the Catholic mission and vision of the school, supervising and evaluating the school principal, overseeing both campuses, managing the budget, coordinating the marketing plan and implementing the strategic plan.
"This is an exciting time for Catholic education in southeast Aurora. I am excited to be a part of strengthening our children's Catholic education and creating new traditions," said Brummel.
"I am looking forward to getting to know all the families and students and am dedicated to making their experience excellent."
Karen Behrns has more than 15 years experience as a school administrator and brings expertise in the areas of curriculum development and program planning. Behrns has served as the principal at Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Aurora since 2012 and before that worked for the Northern Kane Educational Corp. Behrns will be responsible for ensuring the Catholic faith is integrated into all academic areas, supervising and evaluating teaching staff, developing and assessing curriculum and coordinating student services.
"I am committed to providing the very best educational opportunities for our children and excited to incorporate innovation and creativity into their everyday learning," said Behrns. "It is an honor to serve as the first principal for Pope St. John Paul II Catholic Academy, and I look forward to being a part of this collaboration which will strengthen and broaden the scope of our traditional curriculum."
Both Sister Ann and Behrns will spend time on both campuses, a north campus located at St. Joseph parish and a south campus located at Our Lady of Good Counsel parish. Their duties will begin July 1.
The opening of St. Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy is the result of the Catholic Diocese of Rockford's Faith Forward Strategic Plan to strengthen Catholic education throughout the 11-county region. The new, two-campus school is a result of planning that combines and strengthens the offerings of four schools, Our Lady of Good Counsel, St. Joseph, St. Peter and St. Therese of Jesus.
Established in 1908, the Diocese of Rockford is comprised of 105 parishes in Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, JoDaviess, Kane, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago counties in northern Illinois serving a Catholic population of more than 300,000 people. For more about the Catholic Diocese of Rockford, visit www.rockforddiocese.org.