CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
tvc.dsj.org | November 21, 2017
17
Margaret Higgins Named New President of Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School
On Nov. 6, the Board of Directors
of Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit (CRSJ)
High School, Co-Chairmen John A.
Sobrato and B.J. Cassin announced,
following an exhaustive nationwide
search, that the school selected Mar-
garet Higgins, Ph.D., to serve as Presi-
dent. Higgins, who currently serves
as Senior Director of Development
and Scholarship Initiatives at Santa
Clara University, will offi cially join
the CRSJ team eff ective Dec. 15.
“We received very strong inter-
est in the position from a large pool
of highly qualifi ed candidates from
a broad cross-section of education,
business and community leaders.
We would like to express our sincere
thanks to our search fi rm, Wicken-
den Associates, the President Search
Committee, which was comprised of
board, faculty and staff representa-
tives, and to all who participated in
a very thorough and collaborative
selection process,” said Sobrato and
Cassin in a press release. “We are ex-
tremely pleased to report that Marga-
ret was the overwhelming consensus
choice of the search committee, and
the board voted unanimously to ap-
prove its recommendation.”
Higgins brings to CRSJ nearly 25
years of diverse educational experi-
ence gained primarily at Catholic
Universities. The majority of her
career has been focused on student
aff airs roles of increasing responsi-
bility at highly regarded institutions
such as Suff olk University, Merrimack
College, and The Catholic University
of America. At the University of San
Francisco, Margaret served as Vice
President, University Life and Chief
Student Aff airs Offi cer and later, As-
sistant to the President and Adjunct
Faculty, School of Education, Lead-
ership and Organization. She then
served as Vice President of Student
Affairs a nd Assista nt Professor,
Education, at Salve Regina Univer-
sity in Newport, Rhode Island. More
recently, Margaret transitioned her
skills to fundraising and develop-
ment, where she is currently serving
as Senior Director of Development
and Scholarship Initiatives at Santa
Clara University.
Higgins earned a B.S. in Commu-
nication Disorders from The College
of Saint Rose, a M.Ed. in Guidance
Saint Lucy School Kindergarten
Pumpkin Patch Field Trip
Field trips outside the classroom are
an integral part of learning at Saint Lucy
School.
The Saint Lucy School annual Kin-
dergarten field trip to the pumpkin
patch was the catalyst for many cross-
curricular lessons and activities. Prior
to traveling to the pumpkin patch, kin-
dergarteners studied and the life cycle of
the pumpkin from seed to harvest They
each made a mobile depicting the stages
of development. They also read stories
and watched videos seeing pumpkins
as they grow and change.
Upon their return from the pumpkin
patch, kindergarten teacher, Suzanne
D’Amico, integrated their experience into
Language Arts, Math, and Science ac-
tivities. By creating a page for their class
book on the order of activities for the
entire trip, they learned about sequenc-
ing. With pumpkins in hand, they used
their math skills to measure the height
and circumference of their pumpkins
in addition to weighing them. They also
learned about buoyancy, as they made
predictions of whether their pumpkin
would sink or fl oat. The kindergartners
even learned how to carry a pumpkins
correctly. “You never carry it by the stem
as it can be prickly. The bottom of the
pumpkin is its belly.” So the fi nal lesson
from this wonderful adventure, always
carry your pumpkin belly to belly.
Saint Lucy School off -campus edu-
cational experiences are planned by
teachers to correlate with their regu-
lar classroom instructional program.
Teachers balance class fi eld trips as they
arrange activities prior to these class
adventures that enhance the curriculum
and engage their students.
Margaret Higgins
and Psychological Services from
Springfi eld College, and a Ph.D. in
Educat ional Admin istrat ion and
Policy from The Catholic University
of America.
“We would also like to take this
opportunity to recognize and thank
CRSJ founding President, Fat her
Peter Pabst, SJ. It was Peter’s drive
and leadership that saw the school
through the early feasibility stage to
today, where he is currently serving
as Chancellor. He, along with Interim
President Matt Bell and Principal
Joe Albers, have built an incredibly
strong foundation upon which the
new President, faculty and staff will
continue to build in support of our
amazing students.
“We are confi dent that Margaret’s
passion for the mission, leadership
and people skills, administrative
expertise and fundraising acumen
are precisely the right combination of
attributes CRSJ needs to build upon
its early successes and move forward
into what we know will be a very
bright future for the school.”
For more information regarding
Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School
visit, www.cristoreysanjose.org or
call (408) 293-0425.
For more information
regarding Catholic Schools,
including open house
schedules, please visit,
www.dsj.org/schools.