St. Joseph Catholic Academy

A new alliance of St. Joseph Catholic schools

By Marty Denzer

After 120 years of Catholic education, the St. Joseph Catholic Schools Partnership was formed in 2020. As part of the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese’s Vitality in Catholic Education Plan, its goal is to “facilitate collaboration among the Catholic schools and ensure a common experience for all students,” said Ann Lachowitzer, president of the Partnership.

Effective July 1, St. Joseph Catholic Schools aligned under one entity, St. Joseph Catholic Academy, with five campuses: St. Gianna Early Childhood Center, St. Francis Xavier, St. James, Cathedral and Bishop LeBlond. Each campus will operate individually under the Academy aegis.

Lachowitzer was named President and Catherine Neumayr as Head of Schools. Each campus is led by a Dean responsible to and supported by the Head of Schools.

Lachowitzer and Neumayr detailed the benefits of the single entity structure:

• Catholic liberal arts opportunities, including foreign languages, fine arts and classical literature.

• Advanced technology, STEM, robotics and other diverse electives.

• Expanded professional development for teachers and staff.

• Consistency in an engaging curriculum that builds foundational skills and develops disciplined thinkers.

• Centralized administration composed of the Academy President, Head of Schools and Pastoral Coordinator.

Each elementary campus has its own charism — Cathedral: the traditional educational model; St. Francis Xavier: STEAM and STEM technology models; and St. James: the classical education model.

All will benefit from the emphasis on development of the whole student through attention to academic and spiritual formation based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Students will learn as they strive to share their gifts and talents in the world, glorifying God in all things. All campuses will share common learning experiences, including styles used for note-taking and labeling, uniforms, on-site after-school activities and middle school sports teams.

Education begins as early as two weeks old at St. Gianna Early Childhood Center, progresses through elementary school atone of the three campuses, then continues at Bishop LeBlond High School.

“From 2 weeks through 12th grade, we’rethere for you!” Neumayr said.

Lachowitzer, a longtime educator/administrator who holds a master’s degree in Elementary Education from Northwest Missouri State University and an Education Specialist in Administration degree from William Woods University, served many educational roles before being named Academy President.

Neumayr, daughter of college professors and a University of San Francisco graduate, is a long-time educator who holds a master’s in Education from Pepperdine University. She came to St. Joseph in 2021, encouraged by Father Steve Hansen to apply for the principalship of Cathedral School.

In March 2022, the Partnership Board of Directors named the Academy administration team — in addition to Lachowitzer and Neumayr, Father Christian Malewski, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish pastor, was named Pastoral Coordinator. The team works closely with Bishop James Johnston and the diocesan superintendent of schools, Dr. Karen Kroh.

The Academy’s mission is “Preparing our scholars to be lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ together: Family, Parish, School.”

Neumayer said, “A truly Catholic liberal arts curriculum fosters excellent habits of the mind; training children step-by-step to think effectively and well.”

Lachowitzer said she and Neumayr “are on the same page. We know what kind of student we want to see graduate from LeBlond; as Bishop Johnston says, ‘holy, happy, healthy children.’”