Institute school a good fit for new principal

Mike Taylor's surroundings at Ss. Peter & Paul School, Institute, in Door County may be new, but serving as a Catholic school principal could be described as a homecoming.

"Catholic education has always been my first choice," said Taylor, who previously served at St. John-Sacred Heart School, Sherwood; Notre Dame Middle School, De Pere; and St. Joseph School, Sturgeon Bay. "It's nice to come back."

Taylor took a leave of absence from education in 1998. In the private sector, he worked in such areas as political campaigning, market research and fund-raising. The position at Ss. Peter & Paul is a good fit, he said.

"Being a teaching principal offers a nice blend," he said. "I like to be in the classroom with the kids."

Taylor will teach social studies for grades four through eight. A progressive approach to education is employed at the country school, which is expected to enroll approximately 50 students this year.

"In grades four through eight there are four primary areas other than religion," explained Taylor. "The students will experience three different teachers for social studies, science/math and language arts. We will have part-time staff to teach art, music and phys ed."

"We incorporate a lot of things that people are looking for in a school," he added. "We offer small class size and cross-curriculum teaching for multi-learning opportunities. We are taking a fresh approach to education with an optimum student environment."

Ss. Peter & Paul offered grades one through eight until last year when a four and five-year-old kindergarten program was added. Although many small Catholic schools face financial challenges, Taylor sees a bright future for Ss. Peter and Paul.

"The folks that started the four and five-year-old program were visionary enough to build for the future," he said. "Whether a school should continue is a question asked at many small Catholic schools, but not here. There is a strong foundation here and hopefully we can continue to build on that foundation."

Taylor would like to see an increase in enrollment, and believes growth is possible.

"There are seven non-public schools in Door County and each stayed at or increased enrollment last year, which is a good sign," he said. "Enrollment at the Door County public schools has decreased. There are some untapped areas we can explore to attract more students."

Ss. Peter & Paul is the most northern Catholic school in the Door County Peninsula. Most of the students at the school are from the Sevastapol School District. Taylor would like to attract more students from northern communities such as Jacksonport and Egg Harbor.

While enrollment will continue to be addressed in the future, Taylor focused his recent attention on filling the five-person staff at the school. He is anxiously awaiting the start of school on Aug. 27.

"There is only so much you can do to prepare for the school year," he said. "The students are the life of the school. They drive a lot of the excitement and energy so I'm looking forward to their arrival."

Personally, Taylor expects a smooth transition in his new position. His experience at nearby St. Joseph School in Sturgeon Bay and community involvement with youth will be beneficial, he said.

"Even though I put the brakes on the academic world in 1998, I've worked with youth through the YMCA and coaching football in the Sturgeon Bay Parochial Football Program," said Taylor. "I am happy to be back though. To be able to teach and serve at a school where the students attend Mass once a week and there is such a strong, constant spiritual environment is a blessing."