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August 24, 2024
Julie Olson, principal
Assumption Elementary School
Julie Olson is renewing her role as principal – and a teacher – at Assumption Elementary School in Millbury.
She came to teach in 2017, and was a teacher and principal from 2018-2022. She said she chose to step down as principal after COVID. From the fall of 2022 through last February she was a teacher and a member of the administrative team, focusing on curriculum. When the new principal, John Piselli, left for another job in February, she became principal again, while still teaching.
This year she is to continue being principal and teaching grade 4 reading, religion, math and science, and grade 5 math and science.
Before coming to Assumption, she was principal of St. James Catholic School in Rockford, Illinois, for three years. She had previously been assistant principal and taught there, mostly grade 4 but also pre-school for a year. She also taught grade 4 at Sts. Cyril & Methodius School in Lemont, Illinois. She was a librarian part time at St. James for about four years “because my son was young and I wanted to be home with him,” she said. Now he’s working on his master’s in applied meteorology.
Mrs. Olson said she and her husband, Robert Olson, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary July 17. They attend Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Millbury.
She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, and a master of administration in education from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois.
“The vision for Assumption School is to provide opportunities for faith in action, while challenging each student academically, in order for them to reach their full potential,” Mrs. Olson said. “Having students out in the community spreading their faith – that’s what I envision.”
Mary Anne Jezierski, principal
St. Bernadette Elementary School
Mary Anne Jezierski, who took the helm as principal of St. Bernadette Elementary School in Northborough July 1, said her goal is “to continue the good work of former principals and teachers, [and] to work with families to build the kingdom of God on earth.”
She has long worked with educators there. This fall she enters her 25th year at St. Bernadette’s, from which her daughter, a public school teacher, and son, a police officer, graduated. Ms. Jezierski was a middle school social studies teacher at St. Bernadette’s for 22 years, and assistant principal the past two years.
She’s in her 36th year in education, however. Before arriving at St. Bernadette’s, she taught history at Doherty Memorial High School in Worcester and middle school social studies at St. Joseph School in North Grosvenordale, Connecticut, and St. Louis Elementary School in Webster (which was later merged with St. Anne Elementary to form All Saints Academy).
She got her bachelor’s degree from Worcester State College (now Worcester State University) in 1988, majoring in social studies and psychology and minoring in secondary education.
In 2023 she received certification in Catholic school leadership from online studies with Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.
“This is a year of … rebuilding” at St. Bernadette’s, Ms. Jezierski said. “We want to re-live our mission.” A key goal is to be more prayerful as a school and “show our gratefulness to God for all the blessings he’s given us.
“We’ve always prayed with the students, but [want] to be more deliberate with the faculty,” because they need to be nourished in order to have something to give, she said. The faculty are to get together for prayer services several times a week before the students arrive.
“This was Father [Ronald G.] Falco’s idea, one way to bond the faculty – to pray together,” Ms. Jezierski said of St. Bernadette Parish’s pastor.
She had to hire 11 new teachers, two new nurses and a new custodian, because of older staff retiring and younger ones moving out of the area, she said.
“Everyone who’s come to me is mission-driven; they believe in the mission of Catholic schools,” she said. “I think every single person I’ve hired is a practicing Catholic. This year we put our mission statement” first when advertising available positions. Those who responded “were looking to promote Jesus Christ on earth.”
Joseph Cussen, principal
St. Bernard’s High School
Joseph Cussen has special praise for St. Bernard’s High School in Fitchburg, where he became principal June 14. And he is glad to return to this area.
“I’m excited about being back in Massachusetts,” he said. “I’ve wanted to move back to New England since I moved to California in 2009.”
He was born in Stoughton, raised in Kingston and graduated from Boston College High School.
His career included nine years at Bellarmine College Preparatory, a Jesuit high school in San Jose, California, in various teaching and administrative positions.
From 2019 through last spring, he was director of campus ministry and chair of the theology department at Bishop Blanchet High School in Seattle, Washington.
Mr. Cussen said he was excited to leave big cities and fell in love with St. Bernard’s during the interview process.
“It’s such a joyful place,” he said; students and teachers have smiles on their faces. “It’s a true community.” That is hard to create if it is not already present, he said.
He said he’s been attending St. John, Guardian of Our Lady Parish in Clinton.
Being back in this area offers another benefit too.
While Mr. Cussen is a self-proclaimed “die-hard fan of Notre Dame football,” he also likes New England professional teams – football and others.
“Wherever I’ve gone, folks hate New England sports teams,” he said, calling himself “a thorn in the side of my west coast friends.”
His wife, Christine Hutchison, is working on closing her private practice as a psychologist in Seattle and hoping to open one in Massachusetts, he said.
Mr. Cussen has a bachelor’s degree in theology and philosophy and a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Notre Dame, a master of education in curriculum and instruction from UMass Lowell, and a master of theological studies from Boston College.
“I’ve been committed to Catholic education my whole life, both as a student and as an educator,” he said. “I believe in the transformation of the whole person.” He said education can be negative if values are not taught along with academics. It is important to provide “a good education that transforms the students’ hearts and souls,” helping them be who God made them to be.
After earning his bachelor’s, he spent a year in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Phoenix, Arizona, working in the Office of Faith and Justice at Brophy College Preparatory, a Jesuit school. He coordinated service learning and service trips.
“I’ve seen these experiences change the course of people’s lives,” he said, and told of a young man significantly affected by a service trip that involved working with migrants who’d been sent back to Mexico. The young man’s heart was broken as he learned of their experiences. He got more involved in service and in faith and made plans to study international relations.
A Catholic education can help students “approach the world like Jesus would’ve approached it” today, and like he did when on earth, Mr. Cussen said.
“I think a Catholic education can celebrate each student as a gift from God,” he asserted. “Students come to us with different strengths, weaknesses, personalities. Our job is ... to encourage them to be the best version of themselves” by working with God, through academics and extracurricular activities. “I think our goal is to [provide] the kind of education that can inspire students to build the kingdom of God in the world around them.”
Mr. Cussen said his first goal as St. Bernard’s new principal is to listen to teachers, staff, students and parents and “make sure I don’t come with my own agenda from outside.”
He said he and Kelly Jennison, St. Bernard’s new director of external affairs, form the school’s co-leadership team.
Mrs. Jennison said he works with academics, students and teachers, while she works with admissions, alumni, grants, fundraising events, marketing and social media.
Benjamin P. Horgan, head of school
St. John’s High School
Benjamin P. Horgan returned to St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury July 1 – this time as head of school.
He said he is humbled and honored to come back to the school that formed him. He grew up at St. Philip Parish in Grafton (now part of Our Lady of Hope, his parents’ parish) and graduated from St. John’s in 2005. Now he and his wife, Hillary Horgan, and their daughter, Finley, attend St. Patrick Parish in Whitinsville.
Mr. Horgan expressed appreciation for being back in the diocese and school that he said built up his faith life and instilled in him his vocation to Catholic education.
At St. John’s, he was blessed to have lay teachers and Xaverian brothers who were experts in their craft and “modeled their faith life and spirituality” in and outside of class, he said, adding that relationships with faculty and coaches helped his faith life thrive. He was involved in theater, rowing briefly, campus ministry and service programs, he said.
For two years he joined a week-long service trip to Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota through St. John’s Global Encounter program.
St. John’s students were mentors to younger students at Red Cloud, and also met fellow high school students and helped out the elderly in the community, he said. It was an opportunity to perform a “ministry of presence” and meet people “from a culture that was different from my own” who were also receiving a Catholic education.
“If I didn’t go ... I probably wouldn’t be in teaching,” Mr. Horgan said. The experience “sparked my imagination [about] how I can use my gifts and talents in Catholic education. ... For me, the greatest impact was the relationships” which “drew me back to go there as an educator.”
He got his doctorate in education at Creighton University, and, for his dissertation, examined effective strategies for strengthening board governance and leadership within Xaverian Brother sponsored schools.
He earned a master’s in theological studies at Loyola University Maryland, and a bachelor’s in religion at Bates College.
Mr. Horgan began his career in Catholic education as a teacher, department chair and director of spiritual formation at Red Cloud, a Jesuit high school, where he mentored teachers with respect to instructional techniques and cultural awareness.
At Loyola Blakefield, an all-male Jesuit preparatory school in the Baltimore area, he was a member of the president’s leadership team and director of mission and identity.
Most recently, he worked for the Xaverian Brothers’ generalate, their global headquarters in Baltimore, supporting their 13 schools in the United States. He worked on professional development for faculty, staff, and board members, and on spiritual formation programs for them and for students, he said.
As St. John’s observes its 126th anniversary “we have a strong sense of tradition and identity in the Diocese of Worcester,” he said. “One of my goals is to continue to build on that tradition and continue to grow as a center for education and faith development for our students. ... Catholic schools play such an important role” in the formation of students, through religion classes and retreat and service programs.
St. John’s has a tradition of excellence across the board – in academics, formation and athletics, Mr. Horgan said.
“We need to continue to evolve and grow, to meet the needs of our students in an evolving world,” to help them be who God created them to be, he said.
Another priority of his is continuing to make St. John’s accessible and affordable to any student who meets the school’s criteria and wants an education there, he said. So, there will be a continued focus on financial aid possibilities.
Father José F. Carvajal, head of school
St. Paul Diocesan Jr./Sr. High School
Father José F. Carvajal came to St. Paul Diocesan Jr./Sr. High School July 1 as head of school, with experience in education and youth ministry from his native Colombia.“My vision is deeply rooted in our shared mission to create a sanctuary for the diverse families we serve,” he said in an email from Colombia, where he went for vacation. “At Saint Paul, we are committed to embodying the compassion, empathy, love, and care that Jesus himself would offer to each member of our community.
“Our journey together will focus on four key goals”: spiritual formation, academic excellence, community and social responsibility, and integration of faith with art, humanities, and science.
“We will nurture the spiritual growth of our students, helping them develop a deep and personal relationship with God,” Father Carvajal said, in reference to the first goal. “Through prayer, reflection, worship, and participation in the sacraments, we will guide our students on their spiritual journey, ensuring that their faith is not just taught but lived.”
Turning to the second goal he asserted, “We are dedicated to providing a rigorous academic environment that challenges our students to excel and reach their full potential. Our commitment to excellence will prepare them not only for academic success but for a life of purpose and integrity.”
St. Paul’s will also be “a light of justice and equality,” Father Carvajal said. “We will foster a sense of community that extends beyond our school walls, encouraging our students to serve others and advocate for social justice through service projects and partnerships with local agencies.”
To pursue the fourth goal, “Our curriculum will help students see the interconnectedness of their faith with the broader world,” he said. “We will explore how art, humanities, science, and global perspectives can enrich their understanding of faith, preparing them to be thoughtful and compassionate global citizens.
“At Saint Paul, we will walk together, guided by the light of Christ, ensuring that our school is not just a place of learning but a true sanctuary where every student and family feels valued, loved, and supported.”
Boosting enrollment is also a priority. Father Carvajal had earlier spoken of relying on his experience as a priest to visit parishes – in attempts to raise funds and prompt parents to consider sending their children to St. Paul’s.
Father Carvajal had experience in parish, diocesan and school ministry even before he became a priest.
From ninth grade through college he helped with youth ministry and was a catechist at his parish in Colombia. He also did youth ministry on the diocesan level.
From 2008-2011, while in college himself, he taught English as a Second Language – at the Catholic school he’d attended from elementary school through high school.
In 2012 he started teaching at Colegio Jesús María, a girls’ secondary school in Medellín with an enrollment of more than 1,200. It was run by the Religious of Jesus and Mary, a community he said was “very well known for high quality education.”
The next year, the head mistress asked him to be principal, a position he held through 2015, while teaching religious education.
The religious sisters there told him they were praying for his vocation, which he thought was what he loved doing – being a teacher. They meant priesthood, a vocation they did not know he’d discerned earlier and set aside.
From 2013-2015 he was also adjunct ESL professor at CESDE and adjunct professor of Spanish as a Second Language at Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, both in Medellín.
He had his bachelor’s in English as a Second Language and Spanish, and his certification in teaching Spanish as a Second Language from Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana.
After a trip to the United States, where he saw men he’d known in Colombia who became priests for the Worcester diocese, Father Carvajal reconsidered that vocation.
Responding to the invitation to start that journey for the Worcester diocese, he came here in 2015, got his master’s in theology and Master of Divinity from St. Mary’s Seminary & University in Baltimore, and was ordained a priest in 2021.
After ordination, he became associate pastor of St. Mary Parish in Shrewsbury, a position he held until becoming St. Paul’s headmaster. As associate pastor, he had helped out at St. Mary Elementary School.
