Are you interested in the vision of our new president, Joe French? Then be sure to read this article, written by Charita Goshay. Under his leadership, our Catholic high schools have a bright future ahead. We are excited about our continuing #TraditionOfExcellence.
Read more below or visit The Canton Repository.
Combining faith and helping children. New Stark County Catholic Schools president shares vision
Charita M. Goshay
CANTON − Joe French wasn't looking for a new job.
In June, the executive director and CEO of Child & Adolescent Behavioral Health took a leave of absence to spend more time with his family.
"I had something big happen in my life; my brother passed away unexpectedly in March," he explained. "I decided you know what, I don't think I want to work 50, 60 hours a week. He left behind my 10-year-old nephew and he also has a 24-year-old and a 19-year-old, and I just wanted to be a part of their lives."
But that all changed when on three separate occasions, three different people encouraged him to apply for the vacant post of president of Stark County Catholic Schools.
"After the third one, I thought, 'I probably should look into this,'" he recalled with a laugh. "And so, as I went through the process, what really excited me about it was the opportunity to be with kids again, and No. 2, really combining my passions around serving children, sharing my faith, and helping them find their faith. I think the third thing was, really about helping children see themselves beyond high school, and seeing that whatever career path that they wanted could come true."
French, 56, officially took the job in July, succeeding the Rev. Don King, who served as interim president for two years. French will oversee development, enrollment, marketing and fundraising for Central Catholic High School in Perry Township and St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Louisville.
Selection committee chair Erin Robertson said they were looking for someone who "Checked all the boxes."
"We had candidates who had business acumen but not an education background, and people who had an education background, but no business experience," she said. "Joe was our unicorn. He checked all those boxes."
Who is Joe French?
A native of Louisville, French is a lifelong, third-generation member of St. Francis of Assisi parish in Canton. An education major at Kent State University, he earned his master's degree in early childhood education from Ashland University, and has taken some doctorate-level courses in educational leadership at Walsh University.
French attended public schools in Louisville.
"There are strong public education systems in Stark County, unlike in other communities," he said.
Edward Roth: 'He's an inspiring leader'
French began his career as executive director of the Little Learners Preschool where he served for seven years, followed by the Early Childhood Education Alliance in Alliance for nine years, and Child & Adolescent Services, a mental health provider, for nearly 10 years.
"All kids deal with anxiety and depression," he said. "Because you go to a Catholic school doesn't mean those things don't exist. One of the things we're proud of is, we're going to get you the support you need. I think the difference is, in a Catholic school, we can talk about faith and prayer and those things which are reinforced at home. We can have those conversations to give parents the resources they need to cope with whatever the challenges may be."
Edward Roth, retired Aultman Hospital president and CEO who also served on the selection committee, said French's work ethic, leadership skill, his deep roots in the community and his faith made him an ideal candidate.
"He had an outstanding career with Child & Adolescent," Roth said. "He grew the business and its services; high quality services. He improved their financial strength. He also has experience working with children and families and schools.
"I've known Joe for a long time. I know he's an inspiring leader. He's a very hard worker and sets a good example for his organization. He's a practicing Catholic and has very strong values and morals and also a sense of high integrity in the community. "
Roth also cited French's connection to a number of local community organizations.
French was one of two finalists. A third person withdrew from consideration.
"Both of them were excellent candidates," Roth said. "We're excited to have Joe in our Catholic high schools in Stark County. We have the opportunity to push forward our wonderful mission and do a great job for our students and their families."
Selection committee member Joe Gerzina said he was impressed by French's leadership skills and experience working with nonprofits.
"For me, it was his success at other nonprofits institutions, as well as his reputation as a problem-solver," Gerzina said. "He's someone who can bring people together, which is what I saw in the interview process."
French operates out of the same office once occupied by King, and the late Rev. Robert Kaylor, who served as president of Central Catholic for 40 years. He died in 2023.
"If I can do a quarter of what they did," he said. "They had a unique and amazing gift for serving our youth."
He said that when a parent chooses Central Catholic or St. Thomas, it's an act of faith.
"What I always emphasize with the staff is that parents are making a choice, they're putting confidence in us and we can't let them down," he said. "That means for many kids, when they see you, you represent God's love and God's grace, and we need to make sure we're always an example of that for kids. That's what called me to this position.
"The goal for me is making sure kids know how special they are, and understanding that they are part of a tradition. We walk with parents in making choices and make sure that parents are part of the solution. We have to be humbled that they chose us."
'What separates us from public schools is we can talk about God.'
French said a Catholic education offers benefits that other school systems can't.
"Our class sizes are smaller," he said. "We really look at the development of the whole child, spiritually, academically, and also from a servant-leadership point of view. A lot of what we do is helping them understand the importance of service. That's who we are as the Catholic faith; we want to give back."
Because the system is faith-based, they can talk about service to God.
"What separates us from public schools is we can talk about God; we can talk about how they're doing God's work," he said. "We really do emphasize small class sizes so we can give that individual attention, so if we know there's something going on, we can ask the family 'How can we help? What can we do to support you?'"
French said that because EdChoice scholarships have been expanded to include all school systems, Catholic schools are now a viable option for every child.
"We really have to get our message out to everyone," he said. "If you don't feel you can afford it, have the conversation with us because we have people who want to support you with scholarships. We want to help you with the cost of tuition.
"We've got to let families know that when you choose us, you're choosing something different. We can offer that one-on-one and that unique ability to know who you are. ... We do have expectations, and enforce those expectations; it's not for everyone, but we want the best for you (students) to be all you can be."
French noted that Central Catholic and St. Thomas, which have separate boards of directors, are different in personality, but share some similarities. Approximately 80% of Central's 360 students are Catholic. In contrast, 40% of St. Thomas' 410 students are Catholic. About 900 Stark children attend Catholic elementary schools.
"I really like that because we're evangelizing," he said. "As Catholic people, that's what we do."
Robertson said she expects that charismatic the French will help grow enrollment.
"He has hit the ground running," she said. "He was the answer we were looking for."
French said he thinks many students want to know what options are available other than college.
"I think kids are looking for, 'Well what if I don't want to go to college?"" French said. "What's exciting to me about this opportunity is, let's find out what that (option) is and let's make both schools stand out so kids can really make a choice where they want to go. As Catholic schools, we need to give them options, and those options don't have to be the same at both schools so they can make choices about their career path."
French said the school system is looking at new partnerships, including Walsh University's College Credit Plus programming at Central, which allows high-schoolers to earn credits for college-level courses.
"Over at St. Thomas, we're also looking at CCPs but we're also looking at some career-tech education," he said. "So we can make a broader offer other than what we have in the past."