Campaign for Catholic Schools

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The Campaign for Catholic Schools is seeking two highly motivated, mission-driven professionals to join our efforts to help support and sustain Catholic schools across Greater Boston. If you believe that all children deserve a great education and are interested in learning more, please click here: www.campaignforcatholicschools.org

Happy from your friends at CCS!

Peter, your leadership, vision, and unwavering friendship have made an immeasurable impact on Catholic education in Greater Boston and beyond. With your and Carolyn’s encouragement and generous philanthropic support over the years, CCS continues to sustain Catholic education for more than 1,500 students at Saint John Paul II Catholic Academy, Dorchester and Trinity Catholic Academy Brockton, regardless of faith or background. We are grateful for all the important work you do to strengthen our communities and for always inspiring us to do more.

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Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! 🍎

Meet Ms. Dionne Greenidge: Ms. Dionne Greenidge joined Saint John Paul II Catholic Academy, Columbia Campus as an Interventionist during the pandemic and has since worked in several roles, always willing to adapt to the needs of the school. Today, Ms. Greenidge is the Media teacher, enthusiastically preparing students to navigate the new technologies in our world and to use them to further their skillsets. Additionally, Ms. Greenidge has played an integral role in implementing our robotics program, encouraging young students to think about careers such as engineering and technology that are needed but underrepresented in the next generation of high school and college graduates. Ms. Greenidge respects and embraces the diversity of each of her students and instills in them the importance of being a positive member of both the Academy and the Greater Dorchester community. In recognition of her exceptional impact, Ms. Greenidge was awarded the Yawkey Award for Teaching Excellence this year. Thank you, Ms. Greenidge, for your immeasurable impact on the Columbia Campus community.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! 🍎

Meet Ms. Talia Siravo: Ms. Talia Siravo joined Saint John Paul II Catholic Academy in 2011 as a Lead Teacher at the Lower Mills Campus. Today, she serves as the Literacy Academic Coach, supporting more than 70 teachers across the Lower Mills, Columbia, and Neponset campuses. A graduate of Emmanuel College, Ms. Siravo went on to earn her master’s degree from American International College, becoming a certified K–12 Reading Specialist. She is also a former Yawkey Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence recipient and a proud marathon runner. Without our academic coaches and excellent educators like Talia, none of this work would be possible. Since her time as an instructional coach, academic growth rates and achievement continue to rise across the Academy. Thank you, Ms. Siravo, for your leadership, passion, and unwavering commitment to SJPIICA students and teachers!

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! 🍎

Meet Mr. Charles Russell: Mr. Russell joined Trinity Catholic Academy Brockton as Dean of Student Life after nearly two decades of service as a Massachusetts‑licensed public high school mathematics teacher. Prior to his career in education, Charles spent several years working as a computer engineer. Mr. Russell is a graduate of Northeastern University and Cambridge College and has served faithfully as a Deacon in his church. His deep faith, passion for mentoring young people, and commitment to academic excellence continue to inspire students at Trinity Catholic Academy. In addition to his role as Dean of Student Life, he serves as a mentor and coach to many students.

Thank you, Mr. Russell, for playing such an important role at TCA and being an inspiration to hundreds of students throughout your career.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! 🍎

This week, we are highlighting a few of our wonderful teachers and leaders who make CCS academies special.

Meet Ms. Lisa Warshafsky: Ms. Warshafsky has devoted more than 20 years to urban education, currently serving as Principal of sjp2ca_lowermills. Prior to this role, she served sjp2ca for six years as a Guidance Counselor and Director of Guidance across all three campuses. Ms. Warshafsky holds a Master of Social Work and a Master of Education in School Leadership from bostoncollege. She is a graduate of several prestigious leadership programs, including the lynch_leadership_academy at the Boston College Lynch School, the Roche Center for Catholic Education of Boston College’s Emmaus Leadership Program, and the Boston Family Engagement Partnership (BFEP). Her impact has been recognized through several honors, including the 2011 yawkeyfdns Award for Teaching Excellence, the 2017 nceaorg Award for Total Community Involvement, the 2019 redsoxfoundation Inspirational Leadership Award, and the 2025 coreycgriffinfoundation Outstanding Philanthropy Award. Today, she serves as the only civilian Advisory Board member for the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers and serves on the Board of the Jonathan Jones nextstepfoundation.inc.

Ms. Warshafsky is a community leader and has been an advocate for hundreds of children and families throughout her career. We are lucky to have her on our team and as a staple of the Lower Mills community!

The spring CCS breakfast meeting was held this week, featuring a conversation with Kevin R. Flike. Kevin served as a Green Beret and was seriously wounded in Afghanistan. He spoke about how his recovery shaped the way he thinks about leadership, responsibility, and decision-making when the stakes are high and the path forward isn’t clear. His message—to take the harder road, to strive toward our highest potential, and to keep faith and family as a north star. We are grateful for his time and perspectives.

Thank you to the CCS Board of Advisors (BOA) for hosting this meeting, and a special shoutout to BOA member Steele Divitto for welcoming us to his office, BASE-X. If you are interested in learning more about ways to get involved or joining our invitation list, please send us a message.

Congratulations to Travis Rhodes, Vice Chair of the Campaign for Catholic Schools, and Rachel Rhodes, Trustee of Trinity Catholic Academy Brockton, on being honored with the Carolyn and Peter Lynch Award for their extraordinary commitment to Catholic education.

And congratulations to Jada Nguyen alumnus of Saint John Paul II Catholic Academy and Cristo Rey Boston High School who will be heading to Princeton University next year with plans to major in molecular biology and a goal to address health disparities in underserved communities. We are inspired by Jada and cannot wait to see her change the world.

Thank you to the Catholic Schools Foundation and Peter Lynch for your continued partnership and scholarship support for hundreds of students at Campaign for Catholic Schools academies and across the Archdiocese of Boston. Your support changes lives!

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress “Report Card” released in 2025, reading scores continue to decline throughout the nation. While Massachusetts consistently scores higher than the national average, achievement gaps by both race and income continue to widen with children from disadvantaged neighborhoods scoring significantly worse than their higher-income peers.

Thanks to targeted investments in curriculum, teacher support, and academic coaching, Campaign for Catholic Schools academies have seen significant improvements in reading scores despite these statewide challenges. Each year, students at CCS academies take the NWEA MAP Growth Test – a computer-adaptive assessment used globally and in thousands of schools and districts across the US (suburban and urban) that measures student achievement and growth in math, reading, language, and science.

We measured the percent of classroom (K2 to Grade 8) scoring above the national norm in achievement across the three campuses in Dorchester. The results show incredible progress. In Fall 2019, 62% of academy classrooms scored above the national mean in achievement and that number has now increased to 93% in Winter 2026. Thanks to all who make this success possible by giving teachers and students the tools they need to succeed.

Join us on April 29 at Boston's newest innovation space, BASE-X, for a conversation with Former Green Beret Kevin R. Flike hosted by Steele Divitto and the Campaign for Catholic Schools Board of Advisors. It will be a meaningful morning, with the chance to hear firsthand about the impact of Catholic education today from our Chair, Bob Atchinson, and Vice Chair, Travis Rhodes, as well as from our speaker, Kevin R. Flike, on how that foundation stays with students for life.

Click here for more information and to register: https://lnkd.in/eAnc7rYQ