Assistant Principal

List of 9 news stories.

• November/December 2021

  10/21/2021
  Dr. Mary Lou Stahl
  Dear St. Francis family,

   

  I always think I love summer best, until fall comes along. Everything about fall makes me happy- the

  pumpkins, the smell of a burning fire, the homemade pies, football and homecoming, warm cozy

  sweaters and jeans, the cool, crisp air, the leaves falling, and even the color orange. It always smells like

  hope and rebirth to me and I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am.

   
  Read More

• September/October 2021

  9/13/2021
  Dr. Mary Lou Stahl
  Dear St. Francis Family.

  Welcome back! This may not be the “normal” year we anticipated, but we are happy to be back in school with your sons in person! We are also about to begin a new process for Middle States reaccreditation. The new protocol is called Excellence by Design, which is an accreditation protocol that uses strategic planning as a vehicle for growth and improvement in student performance, and is a future- oriented and visionary process. In addition, the protocol provides for a continuous review of programs and services and of the results of student performance. It also allows diverse constituent groups to participate in charting the future of the institution.
  Read More

• May/June 2021

  4/15/2021
  My father Chuck Cookson passed away five years ago on Valentine’s Day, a month before his birthday on St. Patrick’s Day. Although he was from a different generation, I believe that the qualities that have brought you and your sons to St. Francis are somewhat similar. I realize I can’t include everything that sums up his life here, but just a few things that might mean something. My dad had many sayings that we called Chuckisms. They were more than sayings because they were principles he lived his life by. He was a hard worker, strong, positive and kind, put his family first, had strong faith in God and was authentic, full of fun and joy. I can’t imagine what he would be thinking of the Pandemic, but I’m sure he would be striving to find the positive.
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• January/February 2021

  1/8/2021
  Mr. Braunscheidel once asked me how I visualize the yearly calendar. I immediately pictured and drew the circle of the year I have seen in my mind since childhood, with various markings for seasons, holidays and important events. Throughout that day, we asked others to explain what they saw in their minds when they pictured where they were in the calendar year. Some also had immediate answers, drawings and descriptions, while others struggled to think of something.
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• November/December 2020

  10/21/2020
  Dear St. Francis family,

  We are so blessed and happy to be here every day in person with your sons, and we appreciate your ongoing support as we begin another school year! My husband Tom and I worked at Orchard Park Middle School together for eight years. I had already been a teacher for a while before he began working as a special education aide. I knew how it felt to say goodbye to students at the end of the school year, especially eighth graders growing up and moving on to high school. Tom and I started a tradition there that continues to this day, where the teachers stand outside on the last day and wave goodbye to the busses.
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• Assistant Principal News September/October 2020

  9/1/2020
  September 2020

   

  Dear St. Francis family,

   

  Henry James once said that the two most beautiful words in the English language are summer afternoon. I hope that even amidst this “new normal,” that you have found some of those beautiful summer afternoons to breathe…and to be with the ones you love, doing the things that you love.
  Read More

• March/April 2020

  2/24/2020
  Dear St. Francis family,

   

  I was going through a difficult time last year when my mom mentioned the word restoration to me. I said, “Oh sure. God can help me today and help me move forward but He can’t change what has happened in the past.” She did not agree and said God can heal and change things in an instant, including the past, and she wrote me this prayer:
  Read More

• "Ya Gotta Dance!"

  1/9/2020
  A few years ago, my dad Chuck Cookson passed away on Valentine’s Day, a month before his birthday on St. Patrick’s Day. Although he was from a different generation, I believe that the qualities that have brought you and your sons to St. Francis are similar. I also realized I don’t have to include everything that sums up his life, but just a few things that might mean something. My dad had many sayings that we called Chuckisms. They were more than sayings because they were principles he lived his life by. He was a hard worker, strong, positive and kind, put his family first, had strong faith in God and was authentic, full of fun and joy.
  Read More

• November/December 2019

  10/21/2019
  Dear St. Francis family,

   

  On Saturday, November 23^rd, we will hold our annual Admissions and Scholarship examination for incoming freshmen at St. Francis High School, which we are currently running review classes for on Saturdays. I remember several years back when I had the opportunity to proctor this exam. The boys and their parents entered the building both excited and nervous, trying to figure out which way to go and what to expect. Parents lingered with anticipation and emotion. One mom shared with me that she had asked her son why he was so nervous, and he said, “This is my future at stake mom,” and she said to me proudly, “Who talks like that?”

  And I thought….

  boys who attend St. Francis talk like that…

  boys who become true Christian gentlemen at St. Francis….

  boys who become men.
  Read More