Alliance for Catholic Education
Dr. Katie Baal, a member of the first ACE cohort, has been named one of seven 2018 Stanley G. Golder Leadership Award finalists in honor of her distinguished service, commitment, and dedication to excellence in education in Illinois.
"I am humbled by the award, as my success as a leader is a result of all the individuals who co-labor with me, and those who dream with me about what is possible for our students," Baal said. "I am grateful to the people, the experiences, and the opportunities that have allowed me to become the leader I am today. The influences in my life are too many to name, but I have a tremendous amount of gratitude for each and every one."
Baal, the principal of Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois, since 2011, was a member of the pioneering ACE cohort of Teaching Fellows. She served the students and community in Baton Rouge, received the Maureen T. Hallinan Award for Excellence in Catholic Education, from ACE, and went on to earn a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies at Loyola University Chicago. According to Loyola Academy, Baal's experience as teacher serves her well as administrator of Loyola, the largest Jesuit secondary school in the nation. As such, her dedication to inspiring the whole student to learn, lead, and serve is clear, and she is reshaping the culture of the school community to a deeper sense of faith and belonging.
Baal credits ACE as an integral force on her journey, "ACE taught me that being a teacher was a vocation, and Fr. Scully challenged all 40 of us to be like
Christ the Teacher. I took that to heart, I've carried it with for more than two decades, and I strive each and every day to lead like Christ the teacher."
The award is given by Golden Apple, a non-profit organization that recognizes and works to inspire, develop and support teacher and school leader excellence in Illinois, especially in schools-of-need. The Golder Leadership Award, presented in memory of Stanley C. Golder, a founding board member of Golden Apple, honors exemplary performance and excellence in school leadership of a Pre-K through 12th grade principal or head of school from the Chicagoland area.
The nominees were honored at the Celebration of Excellence in Chicago on February 24, with the winner to be announced in May.