Florida Catholic | Farewell And Welcome

Farewell and welcome

John Paul II High School hosts reception for retiring principal Randy Felton and incoming principal Sister Ellen Cronan.

MARCI ELLIOTT | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Published: 04.04.08

TALLAHASSEE | Dr. Randy Felton likes to call himself “the best principal the school’s ever had — and the worst one it’s ever had.”

“That’s because I’m the only one it’s ever had,” he joked at a reception hosted by John Paul II High School’s Parent-Teacher Organization March 19.

The PTO sponsored the reception as a goodbye to Felton and a hello to Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Sister Ellen Cronan, who will take his place. Felton, who joined the school in August 2000, will retire June 30. Sister Cronan will begin her tenure as principal July 1.

“I came here exactly three days before we broke ground for the school, and I’ve been here ever since,” Felton said.

The reception gave parents and other guests an opportunity to meet Sister Cronan and welcome her during her recent brief visit to Tallahassee.

“I look forward to coming here,” said Sister Cronan, who has worked in Catholic education for more than 40 years. “Tallahassee is a nice place and the people here are very friendly.”

While Felton still has more than three months before his retirement, some of those close to him at John Paul II are already thinking sadly about his departure.

“I don’t know what I’ll do without him,” said PTO president Steve Fredrickson, a friend of Felton’s since Fredrickson’s son started school at John Paul II. “Dr. Felton set a great foundation for the school. We hope to see it continue to grow and grow.”

After Sister Cronan’s introduction and a brief talk to the crowd, which numbered around 60 people, a line formed with parents and others who wanted to speak personally with her. She spoke with each of them.

“We’re very excited to have her here,” said Kathy Moreno, who attended the reception with her friend and fellow JPII parent Maria Caspary. Their daughters are friends who now attend Trinity Catholic School in Tallahassee and will enter JPII as freshmen this fall.

“I really like that she believes in treating children on a personal level,” Caspary said, “and that she takes into consideration their individuality.”

Tracy Allen, whose son Michael Hnatiuk is a sophomore at the school, said she found Sister Cronan to be “very delightful.”

“I was very glad to find that she’s easy to talk to,” Allen said. “I look forward to working with her. She’s very interested in building the school.”

John Paul II Catholic High opened in 2000 with 19 students, Felton said. It now has 160. There are plans to add a new building to the campus, which now includes a main building and a gymnasium. But future plans depend on funding, and no one knows at this time when construction will begin, Felton said.

During Felton’s tenure as principal, the high school has emphasized academics, including computer/technology and the arts, language arts, foreign language, mathematics, religion, science and social studies, and it features a well-equipped media center on its campus.

In addition, the school has built up a complete athletics program, now under the supervision of Athletic Director Pam Shovlain. The program includes football, dance, cheerleading, cross country, volleyball, golf, basketball, soccer, baseball, softball and tennis.

The student enrollment has grown steadily through the years, as have the PTO, extracurricular organizations and parent involvement.

Felton is a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. He holds a doctorate in social studies education from Florida State University, a master’s degree in history from Jacksonville University and a bachelor of science in social studies education from FSU. He has completed additional studies at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., and Cairo University in Cairo, Egypt.

Felton served in active duty in the U.S. Navy and has been a Navy reserve officer. He taught in Duval County and held consulting and administrative positions within the Florida Department of Education and Leon County Schools. He has also been an adjunct professor at Jacksonville University, FSU and Nova University.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do after I retire,” Felton said. “I’m going to take some time off and review my options.”

Sister Cronan’s religious community is a worldwide order whose United States provincial headquarters is in Hamden, Conn. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history and political science from St. Louis University, as well as a degree in educational administration.

Sister Cronan presently serves as principal at Immaculate Heart Academy in Washington Township, N.J., where she has been employed for the past 18 years. She has been a teacher and principal at other schools and has served in Catholic education for more than 40 years. Sister Cronan is a Ford Foundation Scholar, and holds memberships and other positions in several professional associations and organizations.

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