By Jean Brannum | jbrannum@queensledger.com
The St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy buildings in Greenpoint are filled with the laughter and footsteps of children from 3K to 8th grade. Enrollment has been increasing since it moved to an administrative team model, led by President Frank Carbone, Principal Dr. Danielle Madden, and Director of Admissions Donna DeLuca.
The school, commonly referred to as St. Stans decided to divide up duties that would normally be for the principal. Carbone said he saw overwhelmed principals from the past juggling academics, admissions, finances and marketing. The principals were hardly able to focus on all three parts at once.
With the new model, Carbone estimates that enrollment has increased 7-10% over the last four years. Before the new administrative model, St. Stans had 195 students, now it has 250. Carbone said that a key component of outreach is social media, which has made the school more known to prospective families.
DeLuca posts many school events on the school’s Instagram and Facebook pages. One of the most recent Instagram posts showed students creating comic strips to show what they have learned about physics in movie special effects. She will go around the school looking for photo opportunities or teachers will let her know. Her goal is to get parents who want their children to do similar activities to check out the school’s website or contact admissions.
Meanwhile, Principal Madden focuses on academics and student behavior. It is Madden’s first year as a principal after teaching and taking time off when she had children. Her middle schooler pushed her to get back into education now that her other kids were in high school, and Carbone knew instantly that she was the right fit.
As a social studies teacher at St. Edmund Preparatory High School in Sheepshead Bay, Madden coached varsity basketball, soccer, track and field, and cross country. When she left to be a mother, she worked in several after-school programs, including the Police Athletic League. She was also executive director of America Scores, a non-profit soccer league for children.
Madden received her Doctor of Education from Gwynedd Mercy University in Pennsylvania and her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Brooklyn College.
As president of the school, Carbone oversees public relations, alumni relationships, and the financial aspect of running the school. Carbone himself is a St. Stans alumna and former gym teacher.
In addition to these staff members, there are also other staff in charge of the Pre-K program and additional business staff. Sister Joanne Goscicki oversees the business side of the school and is the only religious sister on staff.
This is the first school in the diocese to move to this model, the President/Principal model has become increasingly popular among Catholic schools, according to a 2000 study from the Journal of Catholic Education. While the duties have been divided, the staff often work together to run the school. Carbone said this model allows the school to be “simply the best.”
“We do believe that in this (model), the way we kind of function together as not only a team but a family, that we really have been able to achieve success,” Carbone said.
St. Stanislaus Kostka was a Polish Bishop and is the patron saint of youth.