The Catholic Compass September 2011 : Page 22
Regina Nadicksbernd, who served as principal of St. Mary School in Fort Walton Beach from 2001-2012, retired at the end of last school year. Her service to Catholic education was recognized by her school and parish family and friends at a reception on June 9 at the Msgr. Mullins Parish Life Cen-ter adjacent to the school. Sister Marguerite Renuart, OP, cel-ebrated her 60th jubilee as a member of the Order of Preachers, or Domini-can, in June. Sister Marguerite entered the community on June 20, 1952, in Adrian, Mich. During her ministry, she has served in Michigan, the Bahamas, South Carolina and Florida. A teacher for 13 years, Sister Marguerite then became a principal for 39 years, then a diocesan school administrator for four years, and, most recently, an adult catechist for the past four years. Much of her ministry has been in the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, where she served as principal of Trinity Catholic School in Tallahassee and Little Flower Catholic School in Pensacola, and as assistant superintendent of schools for the diocese. She now is active in providing faith formation programs at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Pensacola. Those wishing to send her greetings may address them in care of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, 1212 E. Moreno, Pensacola, FL 32503. Jennifer Harrington and Sister Margaret Ann Calcutta, ASCJ, ensure that there’s an attractive learning environment for the new Morning Star program at St. John the Evangelist School. St. John the Evangelist School offers Morning Star program St. John the Evangelist School in Pensacola began the school year with a new offering. For the first time, the school is welcoming students with special needs in a Morning Star program. Five students, two girls and three boys ages 8 to 14, meet daily in a tidy white house, freshly repainted and carpeted, adjacent to the main campus of the pre-K-8 school in the Warrington neighborhood. Their teacher, Sister Margaret Ann Calcutta, ASCJ, is a veteran of special education, having ministered in residential programs for people with developmental challenges for more than 30 years. Sister Margaret Ann described the best part of working with special-needs individuals: “The ‘aha’ moments in children are the best part of this work.” Jennifer Harrington, who serves as teacher’s aide in the pro-gram, agreed. “Those moments really add up.” All the students have been received into the program following various qualifying tests. Each also has an IEP, or individualized educa-tion plan, that describes how the student learns, how the student best demonstrates that learning and what teachers and service providers can do to help the student learn more effectively. Key considerations in developing an IEP include assessing students in all areas related to the known disabilities, simultaneously considering ability to access the general curriculum, considering how the disability affects the student’s learning, developing goals and objectives that correspond to the needs of the student, and ultimately choosing a placement in the least restrictive environment possible for the student. Morning Star programs operate in conjunction with Catholic schools in a number of locations in Florida, notably at Sacred Heart Cathe-dral School in Pensacola. The expansion of Morning Star to St. John School was necessitated, in part, by a waiting list at Sacred Heart. Kevin Vickery, superintendent of schools for the diocese, said, “There is a growing need to invite all students to receive the benefits of a Catholic education in our schools. The expansion of the Morn-ing Star Program to St. John School in Pensacola affords us the opportunity to welcome additional students who face developmental challenges into our schools.” 22 The Catholic Compass / September 2012 / www. thecatholiccompass .org
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