John Paul II Catholic School
Academics + Faith + Family = Success
story by JEANNE REYNOLDS photos by JOHN WOLLWERTH
Sometimes it’s the little things that count, like hoodies.
Oh, sure, students at John Paul II Catholic School could buy hooded sweatshirts with the school’s logo in the campus store, but they couldn’t wear them to school as part of their uniform. At least, not until shortly after John McCarthy moved into the principal’s office a few years ago.
“I had pizza with every student in the school,” McCarthy says. “We talked about what they liked and what they wanted to change.” The effort even extended to delivering pizzas to students’ homes when the school was briefly closed during the pandemic and “eating” with them virtually in online meetings.
“One of the things they wanted to change was being able to wear those hoodies to school. So, we changed the rule that October, and the kids were ecstatic. How easy was that?”
Other recent changes driven by student input include being able to provide feedback on their teachers and adding a baseball field to the campus athletic facilities. They’re not all quick fixes, but taking time to listen and making changes that make sense are emblematic of McCarthy’s leadership philosophy.
“You’ve got to listen to the students you’re serving,” McCarthy says. “Show you value their opinions. The best marketing is word of mouth, and happy students mean happy parents.”
UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH
Students and parents are happy — the school boasts a 92% retention rate — because they’re arriving and staying in record numbers. Enrollment is up 30% just this year, and by the start of the 2023 school year, it’s likely to have doubled in less than five years. That’s a level of growth almost unheard of in Catholic education, according to school officials.
Perhaps even more eyebrow raising, JPII’s rapid growth is happening in the face of two factors creating a perfect storm for many other school systems: the pandemic and the influx of new residents to the area.
“In March 2020, everything shut down,” McCarthy recalls. “But we reopened that August while public schools remained closed or held only virtual classes into the fall. We picked up 20 students then, and all but one stayed when the public schools reopened. I think we opened some eyes to the possibility of education choice, and people started to look at education through a different lens.”
Similarly, the population growth in Beaufort and Jasper Counties that has overwhelmed some public schools has been a boon for JPII.
“We get so many people from other parts of the country here now,” McCarthy says. “During the pandemic, people found they could work from anywhere, so why not live here? They may have come to Hilton Head for vacations and may have had their children in Catholic school elsewhere.”
McCarthy himself is an example of one who traveled that path. He attended a Jesuit high school and Catholic college in New England, and then spent more than three decades in public and private school teaching and administration before retiring to Habersham in 2017. That background made him an ideal fit when JPII was looking for a new principal in 2019. McCarthy accepted the call, putting his retirement on hold.
TRANSFORMATION IN PROGRESS
But McCarthy is quick to say JPII’s growth is due to much more than a virus and a booming population — nor does he tie it to his time at the school’s helm.
“Leadership does matter, but I don’t take the credit — I just drive the ship. I found a really good school people didn’t know about. We have excellent academic programs in a faith-based environment. You have to tell your story.”
A big part of JPII’s story now and over the next few years is a major expansion project McCarthy says will “transform our school and education in the area, and turn learning into active projects in the community.”
Phase One of the plan included installing a four-classroom modular building that increased capacity to 360 students. That will be followed by another four-classroom modular building next summer in preparation for an enrollment of more than 400 students.
Phase Two of the plan is much more ambitious, including the construction of a 42,000-square-foot STEAM (an acronym for the critical core subjects of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) Innovation Center as the primary high school building by 2025. The state-of-the-art educational facility will house up to 340 students in grades 9 – 12, and the school’s current building will become the middle school and administrative offices. The Innovation Center also will include a multipurpose black box theater for the performing arts and other school uses. Dining services and a front entrance security gate are also on the drawing board.
The school also has started constructing a new multipurpose playing field for all sports, specifically the soccer field, to be ready for play by spring. A new 160-vehicle parking lot will be built behind the athletic center. Other athletic field expansion plans designed to meet the goal of bringing most sports teams on campus include a synthetic turf multisport stadium with a track, field house, and tennis courts, plus a cross-country trail and lights for the baseball and softball fields.
Fundraising for this massive expansion project is well underway, the school says. A $1 million gift is providing the seed money to get started, and a capital campaign will follow soon, likely supplemented by a loan from the Diocese of Charleston.
LONG-TERM GROWTH = LONG-TERM SUCCESS
McCarthy says growth is both intentional and essential to JPII’s long-term success.
“To operate a high-quality private high school, you either need more students or higher tuition. Our tuition is below average for the region, and we have to be big enough to keep it affordable and diverse. We had to broaden our base, grow our non-Catholic enrollment, and become more racially and ethnically diverse. Our sign out front reads, ‘All faiths welcome,’ and we’ve had people tell us, ‘We didn’t know we could go there.’”
At the same time, JPII is “intentionally Catholic,” he adds. “People coming here know what they’re walking into. All students attend Mass once a week, every class starts with prayer, every class has a spiritual retreat, every student takes a theology class, and our seniors go on a mission trip.”
There’s still a dress code too. While hoodies are now in, mullets and pink hair are still out. McCarthy says it’s part of the culture students and families come to JPII to find.
“Faith and family are the foundation of who we are. It creates an amazing family, culture, and environment.”
JPII BY THE NUMBERS
• 334 students enrolled for 2022–2023 school year
• 50% enrollment growth expected between 2021-2023
• 20+ advanced placement college courses
• 92% student retention rate
• 22% non-Catholic students
• 9:1 teacher-student ratio
• $600,000 financial aid and scholarships offered in 2022
• 20 athletic teams
• 13 clubs and activities
• 3 performing arts groups
• 10 visual arts courses
