De Smet Reborn

At the end of April, forty-some juniors made the spiritual journey of Kairos with faculty and seniors to guide them. Although students realized the importance of this retreat for themselves, an underlying truth raised the stakes: Principal Mr. Trevor Bonat made his first Kairos with De Smet, and President Father Wally Sidney made his last.

Over the past several years, De Smet has watched as many of its most veteran and recognizable faculty members depart from their long-held offices. Just in these last two years, the principal, president, curriculum director, athletic director, diversity director, admissions director, alumni director and college counselor have either stepped down, retired or been replaced.

This does not even take into account the faculty changes and other staff who have moved around within the building.

What does this mean for De Smet though? Is this the same school we all applied to two, three and four years ago? De Smet is in the rare situation where a large number of its leading administrators are new, and it is ready to be reborn.

Look at the faculty members who have already taken their offices.

Mr. Tim Sullivan in the admissions office has redefined how De Smet identifies itself to prospective seventh and eighth graders. Improving on age-old traditions of the Fall Open House and High School Night presentations, Mr. Sullivan made De Smet the first Catholic high school in St. Louis to host a spring open house and continues to work with the President’s Ambassadors to improve the admissions process even more.

Mr. Bonat recently stepped in as De Smet’s newest principal, replacing Dr. Greg Densberger after over three decades as principal. In his first year, Mr. Bonat faced a number of obstacles. From integrating himself into a new environment to handling a series of disciplinary issues, this year was anything but easy for the new principal. However, his experiences with the student body have inspired him to make the coming years even better.

As one can see, the revitalization of the administration has already done great things for De Smet. But it does not end here.

In the coming year, Mr. Armando Gilkes will arrive as De Smet’s Diversity Director. While many students still nostalgically remember Mr. Dan Lester and many have come to respect Mr. Joe Wotawa as his interim replacement, Mr. Gilkes offers years of experience from all across the country to fill the position. With the residual racial tensions within the greater St. Louis area, members of the student body anticipate his presence and experience will bring the student body closer together.

While the institutional repercussions of how Mr. Gilkes will affect De Smet are anticipated, many other  changes to the administration cannot be fully understood yet. The arrivals of Mr. Corey Quinn as president and Mr. Kevin Roberts as athletic director, both De Smet alumni, signal changes across the De Smet community.

Not only are major modifications being made to the staff, but long-standing De Smet organizations are also seeing a transformation. Campus Ministry, for example, will shift its staff as Mr. Michael Russo and Sra. Kelsey Grimm pass the torch to a new group of dedicated faculty members including current ASC Mr. Tim Wilmes.

These changes are all in conjunction with the ambition and dedication of the Class of 2016’s rising leadership.

With this overturn in integral faculty, both students and administrators will begin to see a  noteworthy change in the school.

As De Smet continues its journey, it sees the beginning of a new era. While no one among us can fully comprehend how this change will resonate within the school, I look forward to the rebirth of De Smet Jesuit High School.