“We had over 100 people here, which was a great turnout considering the weather,” said Lori Loveless, principal of the Carrollton school. “We were a little concerned, especially because we had to close school on the previous Thursday and Friday. However, a lot of people showed up. There were mainly parishioners and some people from surrounding communities.”

The Carrollton school is one of eight elementary parish schools, along with two high schools that have been working with a national development consulting firm to begin a self-assessment process that will lead to a long-range plan. Other participating schools — all in the west central part of the Springfield diocese — include Quincy Notre Dame High School, Blessed Sacrament School, St. Dominic School, St. Francis Solanus School, and St. Peter School, all in Quincy; St. Mary School in Mt. Sterling; Our Saviour School and Routt Catholic High School in Jacksonville, and St. Francis/Holy Ghost School in Jerseyville.  

The Tracy Family Foundation, a not-for-profit private foundation supported by the Mt. Sterling-based Dot Foods, Inc., has provided funding for the planning process and hired the Institute of School and Parish Development (ISPD), a Louisiana-based national development consulting firm, to lead the project. The process began in May 2009, said Loveless.

“We were especially touched that two members of the Tracy family came to the convocation,” she said. “What they are doing is so appreciated and they have shown such an interest in how we are getting along.”

During the meeting, the participants were greeted by Father Henry Schmidt, who is parochial administrator of St. John the Evangelist Parish as well as All Saints Parish in White Hall and St. Michael Parish in Greenfield. Loveless presented a “State of the School Address” and a representative of ISPD spoke. Participants then broke into groups to discuss their topics.

“After several hours we came back together and voted on what areas we thought needed the most help,” Loveless said. “We had 46 topics to vote on. We tallied up the numbers and forwarded the information to ISPD, who will generate those results and send information back to us.

“Many faculty, parents and parishioners have given input into this plan over the last few months,” said Loveless. The convocation was open to all who would like to help plan for St. John’s future, she said. Topics covered included spiritual life, student life, faculty and staff, academics, technology, athletics, administration and finance, development and marketing, and building and grounds.

The history of St. John the Evangelist School reaches back to 1877, when the original school house was built to educate the children of the parish, which had its beginnings in 1853. From 1922 to 1956, the parish had a high school as well. Although several buildings existed throughout the years, the present St. John the Evangelist School building was dedicated in 1968.

“The dedicated effort of many clergy and parishioners through the years has made it so our students and families have experienced a long tradition of outstanding Catholic education,” said Loveless.

Father Schmidt plays a big part in how area Catholic children are educated, she said. “One way he serves people in Carrollton is by continuing the mission of Catholic education.” St. John’s Parish offers a day care, preschool and a K-8 grade school. The enrollment in day care is 14, preschool is 36 and at St. John’s School there are 113 students.

“Our faculty and staff consist of 23 people,” she said. “We are proud of our faculty and staff today and through the years for their dedication and hard work. We are proud of our students and are encouraged by their above-average Terra Nova results.

“We are also blessed to have parishioners that serve on our school board and committees. These parishioners continue to carry out the original vision of St. John’s School. Because of their dedication and hard work, St. John’s School recently added a new computer lab,” Loveless said. “St. John the Evangelist continues to fulfill its original mission to provide outstanding Catholic education to our children.”