 Catherine Ronan Karrels will yield her post as president of what has been called "an educational miracle" in one of San Francisco’s most ravaged neighborhoods as she leaves the school she helped to found seven years ago.
The educational miracle is De Marillac Academy, a tuition-free 4th-through-8th grade school that is part of the national NativityMiguel Network (www.nativitymiguelschools.org) and is an example of the educational power that can be generated when Catholic charisms cooperate: Co-founded and co-sponsored by the Daughters of Charity and the Brothers of the Christian Schools, the school is housed in the former elementary school of Saint Boniface Parish, where the ministry is Franciscan. (See www.demarillac.org.)
Opened in September 2001 as a middle school, with an inaugural sixth-grade class of 19 students, De Marillac Academy in Spring 2008 is watching the members of that inaugural class graduate from high school and receive admissions to college. Catherine Karrels recently wrote the following e-mail to a group of the school’s founders and supporters in the Christian Brothers’ District of San Francisco:
"When the Christian Brothers decided to start De Marillac Academy, part of the dream was to offer students an opportunity out of poverty through education first at De Marillac, then at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, and then at Saint Mary's College of California. The idea of a seamless Lasallian education from middle school through college would surely offer our students a chance for transformation. This Saturday, Leslie Yes, a member of the De Marillac graduating class of 2004 and a current senior at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, received an acceptance letter from Saint Mary's College. The vision and dream of the District is truly becoming a reality. Congratulations to each of you on the leadership role you have played in making this happen. I hope that Leslie is the first of many, many students who will tell a similar story of reaching her potential as part of the Lasallian family."
 Karrels reflected recently, “In my years at De Marillac, I have found inspiration in the example of the founders of the De La Salle Christian Brothers and Daughters of Charity: John Baptist de La Salle, who taught us the virtues of a good teacher; Louise de Marillac, who empowered women to directly serve the poor; Vincent de Paul, who taught us that prayer and action must go hand in hand; and Elizabeth Ann Seton, who balanced the role of motherhood with the role of leadership. Like us, these saints had no idea what they were getting into at the beginning of their journeys. They did not have a roadmap or a strategic plan from the start, only eyes of faith, open hearts, and a will to serve the poor. They listened to the signs of the times and were creative and innovative in determining solutions. They worked hard and were willing to make personal sacrifices. I believe that if we continue to have open hearts, eyes of faith, and are willing to listen to one another and the Holy Spirit, De Marillac Academy will move forward in the right direction.”
 De Marillac Academy is located in the Tenderloin, an area that is a local byword for blight: In the heart of one of the nation’s wealthiest cities, Tenderloin families struggle to meet their dally needs: More than 90 percent of the students enrolled in De Marillac Academy qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch through the National School Lunch Program. Enrolled families contribute to the school, but their contributions provide less than 3 percent of needed operating revenue. The school’s current major improvement project is a quarter-million dollar renovation to improve the safety and security of the building in a neighborhood where illegal drug sales and prostitution are commonplace and gang activity is on the rise. Next to De Marillac is an intravenous needle exchange, and down the street is St. Anthony Dining Room, which serves 2,600 meals a day to the homeless. This is where Catherine Karrels and a committed network of supporters have built and maintained De Marillac Academy.
Says Karrels, “My experience here has greatly deepened my understanding of the harsh realities of educating some of America’s most underserved families. The educational and personal needs of our students are tremendous, and the trials we experience annually are demanding. Critical to understanding the significance of De Marillac is the idea of understanding the Tenderloin itself. It is a neighborhood in which the human struggle with addiction, survival, and poverty is counterbalanced by a strong sense of community and charitable support. Within this challenging environment, I have found great hope and great promise in the students. Our students have touched my heart and have deepened my faith, and my relationships with them and their parents have called me deeper into my vocation as an educator.”
Karrels will move with her family back to her hometown of Bethesda, Maryland, to become head of school at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, a girls’ school that is her own alma mater. Her successor as president at De Marillac, Mike Daniels, who will take office in June 2008, currently serves De Marillac as its Director of Communications and Major Gifts. Says Karrels, “I am delighted that Mike Daniels has been selected by the Board of Trustees to replace me in the role of president. Mike is a smart, spiritual, talented man and I could not be more confident that he will thrive in this new role. He will lead the school with vision and grace. I feel especially fortunate that Mike and I have been able to work side-by-side together for several months as we transition the school through leadership change. In collaboration with all community stakeholders, De Marillac has recently written a strategic plan to guide the future. The school is strong, and under Mike’s new leadership is prepared to move through the next phase in its history.”
Catherine Karrels will be honored at the school’s April 17, 2008, fundraising dinner, “Illuminating the Future,” at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco.
Below is the text of the lead article in the “De Marillac News” community newsletter for Spring 2008, paying tribute to Karrels and bidding her farewell.
De Marillac to bid farewell to
President Catherine Ronan Karrels
In just a few short months, De Marillac Academy will say a tearful good-bye to President Catherine Ronan Karrels. As she announced last fall, Mrs. Karrels will leave De Marillac in June to become Head of School at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda, MD. The move provides Mrs. Karrels the opportunity to lead her alma mater and also to be closer to her family. Assuming leadership of De Marillac Academy in June will be Mr. Mike Daniels.
Mrs. Karrels began her work with De Marillac as the founding Principal/CEO in January 2001. When the school first opened in the fall of 2001, the student body consisted of just 19 6th-graders. By 2005, when Mrs. Karrels transitioned into the role of President, the student body had grown to 50 students in grades 6, 7 and 8. The following year, De Marillac Middle School expanded to a five-year 4th to 8th grade program under a new name, De Marillac Academy. Now, in its seventh year, the school has an enrollment of 100 students, and sixty-three graduates that make up the alumni class.
FOUNDING CEO
Mrs. Karrels' contributions to De Marillac are deep and long-lasting, according to Mr. Gery Short, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees and Director of the Office of Education for the De La Salle Christian Brothers. He said, “As the founding Principal and President of De Marillac, Catherine brought the school through its infancy. She started from scratch with no file cabinets, no computer, no application forms and no staff. She built the school. She visited potential students and families in their homes; she worked with architects and contractors to design the building, and invested herself in the Tenderloin community to understand the needs of these students. She is responsible for the school foundation and its amazing culture, where students feel loved and cared for but where expectations for students to reach their full potential and their very best are very clear. She is clear with everyone: these [De Marillac] students deserve the best.”
FAITH-FILLED EDUCATIONAL LEADER
Br. Kevin Slate, FSC, Director of Postulancy for the San Francisco District and member of the Board of Trustees, has known Mrs. Karrels for many years and was a colleague of hers at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory (SHCP). One of her greatest strengths, he believes, is her ability to promote and embody the charisms of both the De La Salle Christian Brothers and Daughters of Charity. “Catherine has been a true blessing for the De Marillac Academy community,” he said. “As the founding Principal/President, she firmly established the school in the traditions and values of the Christian Brothers and the Daughters of Charity. Catherine’s devotion to the mission of providing a quality educational experience for the students of De Marillac and her visionary and inclusive leadership style will be the hallmarks of her legacy. She is an educational leader of great integrity and the DeMarillac community has been truly blessed by her loving presence and her faithful service.”
CHAMPION OF SOCIAL JUSTICE
One of Mrs. Karrels' many attributes is her resolute belief that all students, regardless of economic background or social standing, deserve a chance to succeed in life, and that the education is the key to their future. Sr. Joyce Weller, D.C., Executive Director of the Daughters of Charity Foundation and member of De Marillac’s Board of Trustees, commented on Mrs. Karrels’ integrity and commitment to her students and the cause of social justice, “Her values are not words, her values are tangible resources that support her and those with whom she comes in contact. She has a woman’s strength that is both unbending when standing against the challenges of poverty, violence and apathy, and flexible when faced with the sadness and anxiety of troubled students and suffering families.”
ADVOCATE OF LASALLIAN/VINCENTIAN IDEALS
Mrs. Karrels offered De Marillac exceptional educational leadership and experience, according to Mr. John Scudder, President of SHCP. “Catherine established policies and procedures in the area of admissions, employment, discipline, academic support, financial assistance and fundraising,” he said. “Whatever the school has in place all had to be developed during Catherine’s tenure. She was the right woman at the right time,” he said. “The formation in the Lasallian/Vincentian mission that began during her time at SHCP made her the natural choice to lead De Marillac Academy. Her work as a teacher, program director and administrator at SHCP ignited a keen interest in making sure that a Lasallian/Vincentian education remains accessible to a wide range of students, especially the poor.”
MENTOR TO STUDENTS
 While Mrs. Karrels certainly will be missed by colleagues and friends, her departure will be most deeply felt by De Marillac students and alumni, many of whom were saddened by the news. Martin, 8th grader, said of Mrs. Karrels, “She was great at motivating students. She always told me I could do better and pushed me because she wanted me to have a good future. Mrs. Karrels thought I would make a good lawyer, and encouraged me to look at the law as a career. It is something I will explore at when I get to high school.” Nathalie, 8th grade, echoed Martin’s comments. “Mrs. Karrels was a great female role model,” she stated. “She was always upbeat and encouraging me to do my best. She made herself available to talk with me about my grades and school. I felt like she cared about me.”
Graduates Lucero ('04) and Juan ('05) recall Mrs. Karrels during her tenure as the school’s Principal. “Even though she was principal, she made an effort to get to know students and talk with us,” said Juan. “She was always smiling, and she was very cool person. I felt I could confide in her, and I knew she would never judge me.” “She always wanted me to work hard and do my best”. “Mrs. Karrels made you believe that you could have a bright future, said Lucero. “She kept pushing us and pushing us, and helped give us self-confidence. Even though we came from a bad neighborhood, Mrs. Karrels said we could make it. We looked to her as a role model. By seeing her start a school like De Marillac, we realized we could do something like that, too. I am sad she’s leaving. She was like a second mom to me.”
LEGACY OF LOVE
Sr. Joyce Weller, D.C. expresses well the feelings and appreciation the De Marillac community has for Mrs. Karrels and the special place she occupies in our hearts, “St. Vincent de Paul says that love is a flame. Catherine has been the fire at De Marillac...illuminating and warming a new beginning. And like all light...she leaves warmth on all those she has touched over these past years. I am grateful for her and to her.”
All of us are indeed thankful to you, Mrs. Karrels, for your leadership and for the joy, hope, inspiration and faith you brought to De Marillac. We wish you and your family the very best. Know that you will always be in our prayers.
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