Principal Ron Edwards in his office at Central Catholic High School.
Sentinel photo by Ellen Ast
At the Southeast Portland high school which sits on land once used as a cemetery, Central Catholic Principal Ron Edwards in his 13 years there has invigorated the future of the Portland archdiocesan academic institution.
But, said Edwards, as he prepares to start a new leadership position this summer at a new Catholic high school in Washington, his tenure at Central didn’t come without uncovering a few skeletons in the closet. Three weeks into his new job as the school’s leader, Edwards discovered inside the closet in his office a large empty can filled with human bones — leftovers, he says, from the days graves were moved to make way for the school.
“Skeletons in the closet became kind of a joke around here,” he said.
For 26 years Edwards taught at and helped lead a Jesuit high school in his hometown of Sacramento, Calif., before he switched to Central Catholic in 1995 for his first job as a school principal. Always a school with strong staff and high academic standing since its founding 73 years ago, Edwards said he still saw room for improvement.
Fast forward 13 years, and improved, it has.
Edwards called for an extensive capital campaign that raised $14 million for renovations which enlarged the school’s size by 25 percent. Added were several science and computer labs, a library, chapel, cafeteria and football field. And while other areas such as the faculty room and several classrooms underwent remodels and upgrades, the student body has grown to around 850 students from diverse social, economic and ethic backgrounds.
With that has come a few new campus rules: No cell phones except during break and lunch. One ring in class and they’re confiscated.
And while flip-flops by Catholic school dress codes are verboten, Edwards flexed the rule to allow students to wear dressy versions of the shoe.
“It’s been an incredible learning experience,” said Edwards, who in college pursued a medical degree and then decided to give teaching a try. He later earned a master’s from California Institute of Technology and pursued his career as an administrator. Since then, he’s carved out an affinity, not for fashion and dress codes, he jokes, but for starting something from the ground up.
This summer, Edwards starts a position with the Seattle Archdiocese to lead the John Paul II High School, slated to open next fall in Lacey. Edwards will work with other staff in the next year to craft its curriculum and operations. Family was another reason for the move. Edwards and his wife of 40 years, Sherry, will live closer to their new grandson and two grown daughters, Michelle and Melanie, a Central Catholic graduate. One lives in Seattle and the other will soon move to Fort Lewis.
Central Catholic is searching for a new principal.
“Ron has helped maintain a pastoral presence at Central Catholic,” said Aron Homberg, dean of students. “Not only does he have extensive knowledge of Catholic teaching, dogma and tradition, he embodies the morals and values of his faith, our faith.”
Edwards led the school through two accreditations and updated the school mission statement and achievement standards. Curriculum shifted toward emphasis on technology, science and math in order to prepare students for college rigor and professional careers. At the same time, liturgies and approaches toward teaching religion have needed to adapt to young lives, which, Edwards admits, differ from as recent as a decade ago.
“It’s been a blessing,” he said. “It wasn’t one person doing it all. It was a community effort.” A community effort, he added, that echoes the local support for the Lacey high school.
“To be a part of a community that’s committed to that type of project is astounding.”
