Little Flower principal named new president of Sacred Heart-Griffin High School
The principal of Springfield's Little Flower School has been named the new president of the city's Catholic high school, becoming the first person not associated with the clergy to take on the role.
Dr. Bill Moredock was named the new President of Sacred Heart-Griffin High School, replacing Sister Katherine O'Connor, who is resigning at the end of the school year after 18 years in the role. A 1972 graduate of Griffin High School – the all-male Catholic high school that merged with Sacred Heart Academy in 1988 to create SHG – Moredock has served as the leader at Little Flower since 2017.
Prior to that, Moredock worked in a variety of roles at SHG, serving as director of student and family services from 2002-17 and as a guidance counselor from 1990-2002. Despite his long history in Catholic education in Springfield, he is the first lay person ever to serve as the president of a Catholic high school in Springfield, a history that crosses through three other institutions dating back to 1895.
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Moredock said that he was looking forward to returning to the school that meant so much not just to him, but his family and thousands of graduates in Springfield and across the world. He felt that his experience at SHG over 17 years working in a guidance capacity for students would help provide him with an academic viewpoint of the institution as president.
"I know the curriculum, I know the faculty side of things, I know the administrative side of things and most importantly, the student and parent part of things," Moredock said. "I did that a large part of my career, spent in the high school itself, in the trenches. I know a lot about college advising and getting students from high school to college. I learned that piece and loved that part of my job, so I'm very familiar with the high school side of things."
In addition, he felt that his six-year stint at Little Flower – where he was tasked not just with the academic side of the school, but with business issues, program development and community relations – helped provide him with more of the skills needed to thrive in his new role.
"Those things that come up, whether it's regarding students or the community or the parents or a different constituency, just running a school prepares you for a bigger institution like SHG," Moredock said.
When Moredock assumes the role of president on July 1, he'll have a few big tasks at hand, such as finding a permanent replacement for Kara Rapacz as the school's principal – Teresa Saner, a math teacher, will serve in an interim role during the 2023-24 school year – and trying to make the school a much more accessible place for every potential student.
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"Even on our mission statement, it says that we welcome a diverse student body," Moredock said. "The messaging of that and letting people know, not only in Springfield (but) the outlying communities, that we would like them to take a look at us, is going to be an important part of enrollment and staffing. We want people to know that if they're looking for a safe, faith-based, exceptional academic institution, they should look (and) consider Sacred Heart-Griffin."
Sister Rebecca Ann Gemma, prioress of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, said that Moredock would bring a new perspective alongside his experience with the school and in the community.
"Dr. Moredock brings many skills, a depth of experience and his faith-filled leadership to his new role," Gemma said. "His familiarity with the school community and his understanding of Dominican life and charism are a tremendous asset. I trust he will bring (a) fresh vision and new growth to SHG."
Chris McDowell, president of SHG's governing board, said bringing Moredock on board was a move to help preserve the heritage built over the school's 35-plus year history.
"Dr. Moredock has been a tireless advocate of Catholic education," McDowell said. "The Board of Directors is excited to collaborate with him as we work to make Catholic secondary education more accessible to all students."
Moredock knows he has big shoes to fill in replacing O'Connor, saying that the task he has ahead of him was "daunting" but that he looked forward to the challenge of continuing to make SHG a high-caliber academic and spiritual experience.
"Stepping into the role of Sister Katherine and the Dominican Sisters is going to challenge me and (it's) one that I look forward to," Moredock said. "I led the Little Flower School in terms of spirituality and Catholic identity, so I think that prepared me for coming over here and doing similar things at Sacred Heart-Griffin."
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Little Flower principal named new president for SHG
