Located in Edina, MN, the Our Lady of Grace Parish (founded 1946) and School community (founded 1949) have been blessed with continued growth. Today, there are more than 2,570 parish families and over 670 students enrolled in OLG. The significant growth of the facilities has resulted in a corresponding growth in the faith formation and education programs. This Fall, OLG will open its impressive $28M addition, a state-of-the-art Activity Center, which includes a performing arts stage, new full-size gym, lobby reception area, innovative learning spaces and classrooms, new cafeteria, professional-grade kitchen, and the highly anticipated preschool program for 120 Little Saints and Young Scholars.

Beyond a strong emphasis on Catholic faith formation, OLG has a long and solid tradition of high expectations for teaching and learning. Over the years, OLG has been honored with awards from the National Catholic Educational Association, Today’s Catholic Teacher magazine, Apple Computer, and multiple trophies for athletics and activities. The school is most honored to have been awarded three National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Awards by the U.S. Department of Education (2001, 2009, 2019) making OLG the only K-8 private school in Minnesota to earn three Blue Ribbon Awards.

Additional information regarding this distinguished school and parish community can be found here.

In building on these successes, OLG’s visionary Pastor Father Kevin Finnegan collaborated with school and parish leaders and discerned the school’s current leadership model in an effort to define the best organizational structure for its exciting future. The result identified a new relationship-driven and collaborative model for school leadership, affording the school community a unique opportunity to expand the breadth and depth of expertise at the highest level of the organization in support of the 800+ students and young learners arriving in September 2022.

Under this new structure, leadership functions are aligned around two distinct facets of school life: institutional capacity (Head of School) and instructional leadership (lower school principal PreK-5th and middle school principal  6th-8th), with the instructional leaders reporting to the Head of School. The Head of School and Principals have autonomous responsibilities based on the scope of their respective roles while sharing the responsibility for the Catholic identity of the school. Supporting this collaborative team are shared parish leaders in advancement, business management, enrollment management, facility maintenance, human resources, marketing and communications.

The Lower School Principal serves as the educational leader and a ministerial leader of PreK-5^th grades and is responsible for managing the policies, regulations, and procedures to ensure that all of its students are educated and supervised in a safe Catholic learning environment that meets the approved curricula and mission of the school. Achieving academic excellence requires that the Lower School Principal work collaboratively to direct and nurture all members of the school staff and to communicate effectively with parents and students. Inherent in the position are the responsibilities for scheduling, curriculum development, faith formation development, liturgical celebrations for the school, extracurricular activities, personnel management, emergency procedures and facility operations.

The Lower School Principal is expected to bring the energy, charisma, vision, and leadership skills necessary for this school community to deliver its respected Catholic educational program successfully. The candidates we seek will have a passion for advancing the mission of Catholic education by delivering excellence throughout OLG’s spiritual, academic, and co-curricular activities. He/she will possess an understanding of the Head of School (President)/Principal model of administration and be comfortable partnering with committed and engaged constituents and stakeholders.

Additional information and our application procedures regarding this exciting executive leadership opportunity can be found in our detailed search prospectus here:

VIEW THE SEARCH PROSPECTUS

This is an outstanding opportunity to help shape the educational experience for students, faculty, staff, and families at a premier Catholic pre-kindergarten through grade eight school in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

The search committee is on a fast-track to identify and secure its next Lower School Principal. Interested candidates can begin exploring this exciting Catholic school leadership opportunity by immediately contacting our team. All inquiries and applications will be treated with the highest degree of confidentiality and with the greatest respect.

Candidates are expected to be available to assume the responsibilities of the position in July 2022. This search is moving at a swift pace. Connect with us today!

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

All applications will be treated with the highest degree of confidentiality and with the greatest respect. To apply, please submit the following materials, confidentially and as separate PDF attachments in one email to Michael Furey. Please include Our Lady of Grace in subject field.

• Letter of Interest that aligns your experiences and skill sets with the current needs of the ministries as you understand them.
• Statement of Catholic Leadership Philosophy.
• Current resume with all appropriate dates included.
• List of five references including names, relationships, phone numbers, and email addresses. No references will be contacted without your knowledge and approval.

CONTACT

Michael Furey, Partner
mikefurey@partnersinmission.com
Partners in Mission School Leadership Search Solutions, LLC
Mobile: (570) 730-2655
www.partnersinmissionslss.com