After one year at Saint Romuald, Sister Carol taught all subjects to seventh and eighth graders for two years at Saint Paul School in Leitchfield and then English and religion to sixth, seventh and eighth graders at Saint Pius X in Owensboro for two years.
Sister Carol and assistant superintendent Sister Ann Middlebrooks, SEC, have been friends for 11 years. Sister Ann is an associate of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph.
After only five years in the classroom, Sister Carol moved up to the administration level when she was assigned to Saint Teresa School in Glennonville, Missouri. “When I first arrived there I taught seventh and eight grade and served as principal of the school,” Sister Carol explains. “I did that for four years. Then the superintendent in the diocese asked me to consider dropping teaching to serve as principal not only of Saint Teresa in Glennonville, but also as principal of Immaculate Conception in New Madrid.” She accepted the offer and remained in that dual position for four years.
Once the schools became accredited, Sister Carol left Immaculate Conception but remained principal at Saint Teresa and became principal at Sacred Heart School in Poplar Bluff. She held that dual position for two years and then said goodbye to the classroom.
“Sister Mary Matthias was our congregational leader at that time and she challenged me to really look at something new,” Sister Carol recalls. “I always had a passion for marketing and development and I thought that was where the Lord was calling me. A position was available for assistant superintendent for development and marketing for Catholic schools at Beaumont, Texas. I applied for that position and went to Beaumont in 1996.”
Three months after arriving in Beaumont, the superintendent of schools there became ill and Sister Carol was named interim superintendent. The ailing superintendent never returned, and on January 15, 1997, Sister Carol was named permanent superintendent of schools, a position she held for three years.
In 1999 Bishop William B. Friend invited Sister Carol to come to Shreveport to take over the duties of superintendent of Catholic schools of Northern Louisiana, a position she still holds today.
Administrative Assistant Mary Gully says, "Sister Carol has a kind and gentle spirit, which helps to foster the Christian environment that I am so grateful to be a part of."
She presides over 2,280 elementary and high school students in seven schools in northern Louisiana, five elementary schools and two high schools, Loyola College Prep in Shreveport and Saint Frederick in Monroe.
Since arriving in Shreveport, Sister Carol has worked side by side with Sister Ann Middlebrooks, SEC, the associate superintendent of schools for the Shreveport diocese. “Sister Ann has been the perpetual southern teacher to me,” says Sister of her long-time friend and associate. “The Catholic school culture is very different here in the South. The diversity of the student population is so different and she helped me with the transition from the German population of the Midwest to the southern population, with its racial diversity in the South and different attitudes of parents and, best of all, a southern hospitality that really has a kinship to the mission of the Ursuline Sisters.”
Sister Ann says of her close friend and associate, “Sister Carol and I have been friends and co-workers for over 11 years. Her love for education and expertise in the field of teaching is a great asset to all she ministers to.”
She continues, “Sister Carol is a motivator and can really inspire educators to reach for the stars. She has high expectations and professional development for educators is a priority. Staying at the top of your game is a requirement, not an option. She is a delegator and expects those whom she entrusts to get the jobs done to do them well. She is very appreciative of the work others do and communicates that. She makes it very clear that she is a resource of assistance for the school administrators. She very seldom gives up on anyone. She is willing to work with you and assist you with unlimited resources.”