January 28, 2011
Endowment pays tribute to Dr. Bennett the principal
Charlotte Bennett spends time with students and parents in the school and outside. She is seen here greeting students in the morning outside St. John the Baptist School in Newburgh. Click for a larger version.
By LINDA COX (Catholic Foundation of Southwestern Indiana)
St. John the Baptist School is proud to give Dr. Charlotte Bennett an A+ during Catholic School’s Week. The theme, A+ for America’s Catholic Schools, is very appropriate as St. John the Baptist Parish, Newburgh,will be honoring their principal for her 26 years of service. To honor her and to thank her, the Dr. Charlotte R. Bennett Endowment has been established and will provide tuition assistance to students attending St. John the Baptist School each year with the annual distribution.
Dr. Bennett was a teacher at Good Shepherd School when the announcement for the principal’s position at St. John was made. She has taught in the public school system and at the college level, but “as principal, I would not want to be anywhere else,“ says Dr. Bennett. “The joy of praying and sharing Jesus’ love with the children daily and being able to share my faith life each day has been a blessing.”
Nearly 800 students have graduated during Dr. Bennett’s years at St. John the Baptist School. She has witnessed first hand the value of Catholic Education and is amazed at the number of former students who are now bringing their children back to St. John School. It is her hope that every family who wishes their children to have a Catholic education will be afforded one. By creating a permanent gift, such as this endowment, monies will be available each year to provide students with tuition assistance to attend St. John the Baptist School.
Dr. Bennett has the opportunity each day to witness the excitement of Catholic education. She begins every day by greeting the students as they arrive and calls them each by name. By observing the students in the classrooms, she is seeing first hand students not only completing assignments but the excitement on their faces when they realize how much they have learned. The gift of a Catholic education is truly priceless!
“The school is a blessing to me each day . . . it is home . . . it is life itself . . . I live for St. John School and it has been my life for the last 26 years.” During Catholic Schools Week, as we remember all of our students, let us also honor the principals and teachers who are the A+ for our schools. Congratulations to Dr. Bennett on your 26 years and to others who have called Catholic Schools “home.”
For more information on contributing to this endowment or for information on how to establish an endowment, please contact St. John the Baptist Parish Office or the Catholic Foundation at 424-5536, or by email at lcox@evdio.org. Establishing an endowment to honor or memorialize someone begins with a gift of $5,000 and you may choose how the annual distribution will be used within the Diocese of Evansville. Be sure to visit the Web site at www.catholicfoundationswin.org.