November/December 2021
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.
Over the past fifteen years as a school leader, I have certainly learned a lot about what makes a school
successful and I continue to learn. I have learned that what I believed would be successful in any school
actually had a name. It was called an “enabling school structure.” This is defined as a hierarchy that helps
rather than hinders and a system of rules and regulations that guides problem solving rather than
punishes failure. In this type of system, principals, teachers, staff and parents work cooperatively, and
trust is the heart of the enterprise and improvement is the goal. People in this system are open and
authentic with each other and they are all completely committed to the school. They view problems as
learning opportunities, value differences, encourage initiative, promote cooperation, encourage openness
and innovation, seeks collaboration and participative decision making, along with truthfulness and
authenticity. All of this results in a cohesiveness that benefits the students of the school.
I believe that parents are a huge part of this structure, and I have experienced so many of you being
involved in your son’s lives. Research shows that parents involved in their child’s education make a huge
difference in both their happiness and their success in school. I am happy to be a part of this experience
and I will continue to work with all of you, along with the faculty and staff at St. Francis, to make every
moment a wonderful and fruitful one.
Enjoy the fall!
Dr. Mary Lou Stahl, Assistant Principal
St. Francis High School
Success Begins at St. Francis
