Principals mark start of new era at 2 Columbus Catholic schools

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Schools across the Diocese of Columbus celebrated Catholic Schools Week last week, and for a pair of Columbus high schools, this year has marked the star of a new era.

While the school year has been filled with change and challenges for many students, that change is coming in the form of new leaders, who are guided by faith, family, and tradition.

“Our culture is rooted in family,” says Chris Kowalski, the Principal at Bishop Hartley.

The two schools are separated by direction — east and west. But they’re connected by a shared vision.

“We’re inspired by faith, and united in tradition,” adds Bishop Ready Principal Matt Brickner. “It’s been eye-opening, it’s been a very different feel for me.”

For two schools that have been around for more than 100 years combined, tradition is taking a step forward.

“It’s been a really exciting kind of transition,” Kowalski describes of his own experience.

Kowalski is in his 14th year at Hartley, Brickner, has been at Ready for 20 years.

But both are first-time principals.

“You have seen a difference, and you see how he’s made his own mark and legacy here at Hartley, but it’s the same culture, same community,” says Lauren Whitlatch at Junior at Bishop Hartley.

While Whitlatch and classmates were a bit apprehensive to hear former Principal Mike Winters was retiring, they were thrilled to learn Kowalski would be his replacement.

“I really appreciate how passionate he is about academics, and the importance of it, but also our faith,” adds Abby Murphy, a fellow Junior.

One of Kowalski’s top priorities was finding more ways to integrate faith during the pandemic.

“We never got away from our faith, but we weren’t able to continue to celebrate concretely, in as many ways,” as Kowalski details COVID-19’s impact on mass and other religious services.

Among Brickner’s vision, was a face lift to Ready’s 57-year- old building.

But both men are driven to empower their students.

“Giving them ownership of the school is an important aspect in things. They spend a lot of time here, so I think it’s important for them to feel like this is their school and their place,” Brickner encourages.

For Brickner, the bond between student and teacher is so strong, 2013 Ready graduate Taron Slone came back to work with his former teacher after graduating from college.

“To stand next to him every morning as students walk in, he knows every single student’s name, when they walk in the building, it brightens student’s days as soon as they walk in,” Slone smiles.

The two men share their own individual backgrounds, but they are connected in more ways than one.

Kowalski, originally from Eerie, PA, and Bricker, from northwest Ohio, are both products of the Catholic school system.

And both have three kids of their own, who someday will attend the schools they now lead.

Kowalski and Brickner are both former coaches as well, and each are leaders in the community; facing similar, but unique challenges as they usher their schools into the future.

“Be authentic, and be who you are, and be willing to fail and learn from that failure,” says Kowalski when asked what he learned from his predecessor.

And with enrollment numbers in the Diocese on the rise, both Brickner says the future for their schools.

“It’s a goal for students in our community to be a Silver Knight, to get here and to go to high school here,” he describes.