Todd Koca, President of Symmedrx, LLC, is a member of the CEF Board of Directors.
Vision + Leadership + Enthusiasm + Commitment = St. Agnes Catholic School.
This is what I experienced firsthand when I toured St. Agnes Catholic School on Thursday, April 7 with Principal Jane Sullivan and Father Bill Porter. Attending my first meeting as a new board member of the Catholic Education Foundation (CEF), I experienced the very reason why I wanted to get involved with CEF – to help support and grow the mission of providing a Catholic education for those children who don’t have the financial means to do so.
Because of the tremendous generosity of wonderful people who support CEF, 45 St. Agnes students representing nearly 25 families are receiving the gift of a scholarship to gain a wonderful Catholic education. As is the mission of any Catholic school, St. Agnes’ #1 priority is getting their students into heaven. It is clear the presence of the Holy Spirit is working through the halls of this school as daily prayer and participation in the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation are at the core of a St. Agnes education. That, in itself, is reason enough to attend a Catholic school.
But to learn of the exciting curriculum Principal Sullivan and teachers Katie Desme and Gena Schleimer shared with us, it’s easy to understand why the kids walking the halls of this school had such big smiles on their faces.
Just one example is the STREAM program, a curriculum that integrates Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. A Catholic school is one of the very few places where one can receive this type of education and one of the reasons why St. Agnes ranks very high in academic performance in the state of Kansas.
As parishioners of St. Michael the Archangel, my wife Julie and I have been incredibly blessed to have all four of our children attend Catholic schools – from grade school through college. It’s safe to assume that Catholic education has been a significant contributor to our children’s social, moral, emotional, and physical development. And I am confident that the St. Agnes parents feel the same way!
