|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
St. Mary's High School reaches to Kansas for new president
COLORADO SPRINGS. This is an exciting time in the life of John Kraus, the incoming president of St. Mary’s High School. He’s excited about his family returning to Colorado, but even greater is his excitement about the future of St. Mary’s.
“I’m excited about the growth potential in all areas,” said Kraus. “There’s a lot of energy at St. Mary’s, and if we focus that energy we can create opportunities for the whole community to be excited about what’s happening here.”
The hiring of Kraus was announced by the SMHS Board of Directors on Jan. 4 after a five-month search. Kraus will begin his tenure as president of the 127-year-old school this summer.
“John is a unique blend of leader, administrator, spiritual director, fundraiser and community builder,” said Gordon Heuser, chair of SMHS’s board of directors. “He is exactly what St. Mary’s High School needs to build upon her many successes and to further bring an excellent college preparatory education based on Catholic values to the Colorado Springs community.”
Kraus’ experience leading Catholic schools is extensive. For the last six years, he has served as president of St. Mary’s Colgan K-12 Catholic school system in Pittsburg, Kan., and prior to that he served as principal of two different Catholic schools in Tulsa, Okla.
During Kraus’ time with the St. Mary’s Colgan school system, the schools earned the Governor’s Award for Academic Excellence among other academic awards. He has experience leading capital campaigns and building projects, as well as overseeing endowment fundraising and grant acquisitions.
But the accomplishment that Kraus is most proud of is the growth of religious youth groups that were started at his current school system. Initiatives included praise and worship groups, an all-male rosary group, a girls prayer group, Dead Theologians Society, youth retreats and mission trips.
“We created an environment where the students could explore the faith and be excited about the faith,” Kraus said. “If you create an environment where the faith is celebrated, the students are drawn to it.”
Kraus said he was drawn to the opportunity at St. Mary’s High School for many reasons, including its location in Colorado Springs. He said after spending two years in Denver studying at St. Thomas Aquinas Theological Seminary some years ago, he had hoped to get back to the state and closer to family, including his parents who live in Fort Collins and two sisters who live in the state.
“My wife, Cynthia, and I have not lived closer than 10 hours to extended family in 20 years,” he said. “We definitely wanted to be closer while our kids are still at home with us.”
Kraus’ daughter Sarah will be a junior at SMHS next year, while his sons Alex and Aaron are currently a freshman at the University of Texas-Austin and a fifth grader, respectively.
The uniqueness of St. Mary’s also played a big part in Kraus’ interest in the position of president.
“Lots of things attracted me to St. Mary’s,” Kraus said. “Its great reputation for academic excellence, a unique history with the diocese and how that relationship has changed, the age of the school, the service of the students and the amount of parental involvement is exciting.”
Coming in, Kraus wants to focus on three main goals: increasing enrollment, facilities improvements and developing closer relationships between SMHS and the diocese and parishes.
As the only Catholic high school in the area, Kraus said he’d like to see many more Catholic students benefitting from the education and experience that St. Mary’s provides. Facility-wise, he’d like to see a Fine Arts Center built and have the science labs remodeled.
“And I want to establish closer relationships between the school and the diocese and parishes,” Kraus said. “Our goals are the same, to help our young people and parishioners on their journey to sanctity. We can work together — with the Catholic elementary schools and parish religious education programs — to emphasize effective, dynamic opportunities to grow in faith.”
Kraus holds a master’s degree in educational administration and bachelor’s degree in journalism, both from Texas Tech University in Lubbock. In addition to his time in Denver, Kraus also studied at Milltown Institute of Philosophy and Theology in Dublin, Ireland.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|