142 Years Later: Budz Makes History at JCA

History was made at Joliet Catholic Academy on Friday morning with a new principal/CEO, but Jeff Budz was thrilled for all the right reasons. And it had little to do with being in charge.

As the first lay person to run the co-educational high school in 142 years, Budz walked the hallways for the start of his seventh year at JCA and greeted students for the first day of the 2011-12 school year. Among those students was a certain freshman named Jeffrey Budz.

His son.

“I think my wife Karla and I are more excited about that aspect — that we are parents of a student at JCA,” Budz said. “We get to have a whole different perspective on things. I’m not just an administrator at JCA, I’m a parent now and I can see the school in another way.

“Last year, I was able to see the school in another way by coaching. And this year, I get to see it then from different angle, from the parent aspect, and it’s a good thing for our family.”

It’s a good thing for the JCA family as well. Budz, who was promoted from principal/COO effective July 1 with the retirement of president/CEO Sister Faith Szambelanczyk, combines the excitement and passion of a parent with his background as an experienced administrator.

A Chicago Brother Rice High School graduate who earned his bachelor’s degree in English and secondary education and his master’s in educational administration from Saint Xavier University, Budz taught English and was dean of students at Brother Rice from 1995-2002.

After serving as an assistant principal and activities director at Bremen from 2002-2005, Budz became principal/COO of JCA in July of 2005. He also served as head boys basketball coach this past winter for the Hilltoppers after the death of beloved teacher and coach Jeremy Izzo.

But before the students arrived for Day 1, Budz emphasized during the summer a tweak in his perspective. His son went from participating in freshman football practice to two partial days of orientation running Wednesday and Thursday.

“Jeffrey is very excited about being here, but he was anxious about seeing me in the hallways,” Budz said. “But yesterday he commented to me, ‘Dad, you were so busy today that I didn’t even see you at all.’ And I told him, ‘That’s usually how it is going to be.’

“I think he might have thought I was going to be everywhere he is and that’s not the case. I have to watch over all of our students at JCA.”

Even though Friday was a half-day of classes, it was the first school day for all students. That in itself brought a smile to Budz’s face.

“We’re back in the grand scheme of things,” he said. “With the kids back, it leads to all the exciting events at JCA — our games, our clubs, our activities, Senior Leadership Night, our freshman mass. Getting the kids on campus is exciting because they are happy to be here.”

Just as important for JCA is the presence of Father Jeff Smialek, O. Carm., and Sister Barb Kwiatkowski, osf, as campus ministers. Smialek also teaches theology. Sr. Maria Pesavento, OSF, a Joliet native and St. Francis Academy graduate, has returned to work in the business office.

In 1869, the Joliet Franciscans opened St. Francis Academy for girls. Nearly 50 years later, De La Salle High School for boys was founded by the Christian Brothers. In 1933, the Carmelites assumed leadership and changed the name to Joliet Catholic. JCA was established in 1990.

“With my appointment, the Carmelites and Franciscans promised to step up their presence more,” Budz said. “I was able to hire Father Jeff, Sister Barb and Sister Maria, and God works in mysterious ways. I think He brought them to JCA and I’m very lucky to have them.

“It’s the first time in my seven years two Franciscans are working here, and I will have a couple of Carmelite mentors. And we will have Carmelites and Franciscans attending various events. Their presence shows, ‘Yes, we have a lay person in charge, but we still maintain that feel.’”

Indeed, JCA has set the standard in the Joliet Diocese for Catholic high schools by requiring four years of religion classes. As Budz noted, “We teach religion every day.”

Academically, the Class of 2011 earned $8 million in scholarships, 91 percent based on academics and nine percent on athletics, and posted an ACT mean score of 23. The top 50 percent recorded a 25 or better on the ACT.

“I think it comes from our family values,” Budz said. “We have great families here and our parents are very concerned about their student’s education. We also have a great faculty and staff, I think the very best in the state of Illinois, and they do a great job of preparing our kids.”

But in his first year as principal/CEO, Budz expects JCA to continue to push the bar further.

And that includes his son.

“If someone asked me, ‘What are my challenges,’ it would be to make sure we are always getting better,” Budz said. “In all facets of the school, we cannot be complacent. From the cafeteria to our maintenance guys to the classrooms to my office, we have to get better.

“You can always try to get better. We won’t settle for anything less, and I think we’re already doing a pretty good job of that. So, I’m very excited to see how the school year goes.”