Every day is an adventure

For St.|

For St. Vincent Elementary School Principal Stephanie Quinlan “every day is an adventure.”

It has been a busy start for Quinlan, who replaced long-time principal Susan Roffmahn at the beginning of the school year. She has not only had to learn about the traditions and methods of the 126-year-old school, but at the same time formulate a plan to help transition it into the new educational world of technology. “I might be the new kid on the block for awhile,” she says. “I know I have a lot to learn.”

She says the experienced St. Vincent faculty has worked hard to make the “new kid” feel welcome. “I give credit to the faculty,” she says. “They have helped me understand the traditions and history.”

St. Vincent, like schools, both public and private, all over the state, is quickly moving into the age of technology. Helped by a grant from the Petaluma Educational Foundation, the school has purchased white boards, laptops and iPads, and upgraded its infrastructure to accommodate the new devices. This year, seventh and eighth graders are using Chromebooks, with the plan to eventually have them available to students from the third through eighth grade.

But the traditional ways have not been forgotten.

“We still have chalkboards,” Quinlan says.

“It has been fun balancing the traditions and the new technology, of thinking of ways of incorporating the new devices into our teaching.”

A big part of that is teaching the teachers - showing them how to use the new technology in the classroom.

“We’re asking more from the teachers,” Quinlan acknowledges, noting that the response has been very positive.

And St. Vincent still upholds and teaches its core values.

“We want our students to understand what it means to be a good citizen and a good Christian,” Quinlan explains. And that doesn’t mean just at school. Through its Community Service and Leadership programs, St. Vincent teaches its students to reach out. “We give them opportunities to serve beyond our four walls,” is the way the new principal puts it.

St. Vincent’s emphasis on faith-based principles and community service is right in line with Quinlan’s personal experiences in Catholic school education.

She grew up and attended Catholic schools in Napa and later returned to teach at St. John’s in that city. She taught at Our Lady of Loretto School in Novato and Good Shepherd School in Pacifica. She earned a bachelors of education degree in special education at Gonzaga University in Washington and a masters degree in Catholic School Leadership at the University of San Francisco.

She interviewed for the St. Vincent job, received and accepted an offer and, as she puts it, “I’ve been running ever since.”

She is likely to be running for awhile, as the St. Vincent campus expands with the conversion of what was formerly the convent into a gym where students and the community can meet.

The school’s current enrollment is 275 and Quinlan says there is room for more. “We want to be open and accessible to any child that wants a Catholic school education,” she says.

(Contact John Jackson at johnie.jackson@arguscourier.com)

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