A veteran Missouri Catholic educator and school principal became the superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Burlington on July 1. “Catholic education is my passion,” Jeanne Gearon said. She comes to Vermont from Sacred Heart Catholic School in Valley Park, Missouri, where she was principal. All of her educational ministry has been in Catholic education; she spent 16 years teaching and 17 years as an administrator. Now, as superintendent, Gearon’s first priority is to build on the successes of the past in order to continue the valuable work of furthering Burlington Bishop Christopher Coyne’s vision for Catholic education in the Diocese. As part of this process, she plans to spend time at each Vermont Catholic school, meeting and engaging with pastors, principals, administrators, faculty, staff, students and parents. “I want to get to know the school communities so that I can come to fully appreciate everything that makes each school such a treasured part of the Diocese,” she said. She also hopes to gain valuable insight about support needed to maintain and strengthen the high academic standards for which Catholic education is so well known.
“Due to the vast geographic distances between many of our schools, and, as an outsider just getting to know the area, I think one critical issue may be a feeling of isolation,” Gearon said. “Many of our schools are far from our diocesan home base and are far from a neighboring Catholic parish or school. This is a challenge that cannot be overlooked and one that must be embraced with creative solutions.”
No school should ever feel “on its own,” the new superintendent said. “Each should feel sincerely connected to not only the diocesan staff but also to one another. It is in being community that we can best share all that the Catholic Church has to offer.”
During her first year as superintendent she will focus on getting to know each school community and learning how best she can support the important work being done by the individuals ministering in these educational organizations.
Gearon was born in St. Louis and grew up in High Ridge, Missouri, a small town outside the city. She attended Missouri State University in Springfield, earning a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1985. In 1993 she earned a master’s degree in elementary school administration from St. Louis University in St. Louis, from which she received a doctor of education degree in educational leadership 2009.
She received the 2009 Archdiocesan Distinguished Principal Award from the Archdiocese of St. Louis.