Candilora selected Distinguished Administrator

Erin Candilora, principal of St. Aloysius School in Baton Rouge, said the large school is “a little city in itself” with all the hustle and bustle that makes it interesting and people working in key places to make sure everything synthesizes together for the best of everyone.

Candilora, the 2023 Distinguished Administrator for the Diocese of Baton Rouge, is rewarded when seeing the pieces come together in “this big puzzle” in order to meet the whole needs of the students.

Candilora began her career in Catholic education teaching English at Redemptorist High School in Baton Rouge.

“It was such a blessing to be working with the team at Redemptorist with the high school retreats and getting more involved in my faith because I was living it every day and had the opportunity to share it with the students,” Candilora said.

After 15 years at Redemptorist, seven of those as assistant principal, John Bennet, Candilora’s predecessor at St. Aloysius, hired Candilora as assistant principal in charge of curriculum and instruction.

“I fell in love with education all over again,” said Candilora.

Because her children were students at St. Aloysius, Candilora saw the hand of God, a “wink from him” as he put her where he wanted her to be.

Since taking the helm at St. Aloysius, Candilora has expanded the outreach of the school to meet the widely diverse student population of almost 1,200. This total does not include the 250 children in the school’s childcare center.

“Candilora is focused on the school mission and all decisions support the mission,” St. Aloysius Church pastor Father Randy Cuevas said. “She has had a focus of ‘educating the whole child’ with many programs and policies that she has implemented since becoming principal.”

She envisioned a STEM lab that would support scientific experimentation with a process for all grade levels in all subject areas. She researched and visited several STEM labs and then led a committee of stakeholders who redesigned school space and secured funding for the project.

In order to meet the needs of students with learning difficulties, Candilora expanded the reading and math resource program by hiring full-time resource teachers and providing lab space for small group meetings. She offered space on campus for the diocesan Reach Program to house a dyslexic lab.

By expanding the students’ exposure to the arts, Candilora encourages talent in the students.

The number of students involved in band has increased significantly after the hiring of an on-campus band director. A performance choir was introduced in which students present a musical each year.

To offer students a variety of new activities to experience each semester, a Club Day was established.

Efforts to include teachers, parents and the community have been a priority for Candilora.

She established a teacher advisory committee. The parent advisory community was restructured to include experts in different fields.

Parents and grandparents are encouraged to be part of the school community through invitations to the school’s daily assembly and school and class Masses. They also help plan and execute grade-level retreats and volunteer to serve in various capacities at the school.

With school safety a priority, Candilora implemented several safety procedures and works with law enforcement to make sure students and faculty are in a secure environment.

A highlight for Candilora and St. Aloysius was being selected a Blue Ribbon School in 2015. But she quickly noted that the award was the result of the hard work of many.

“(The announcement celebration) was fun and I think a testament,” she said. “For so many, many years we never applied and we had the score for years and years.

“So I think it was an exclamation point for the students, parents, staff and faculty members, they deserved it. They worked so hard for so many years.”

“And not that people do things for an accolade, or an ‘attaboy’ or an award,” she added.  “You do it for the right reasons. I think they had been doing the right things for the right reason for so long that it was nice to be recognized for that.”

She said she was blessed to represent the school in receiving the award but quickly added the award was not hers but belonged to the staff and faculty and the parents who all work in partnership.

While it’s nice to bask in accomplishments, Candilora moves forward to give students a complete education. This includes teamwork, learning from mistakes and how critical faith is in life.

When St. Aloysius put the STEM lab in a problem was noticed with students, as well as parents, in needing perfection.

“We need to teach these students a growth mindset, they need endurance, they need grit,” said Candilora.

So experiments were designed so the students would fail the first time or two they attempted it.

“We had tears and nobody was happy because they wanted it perfect,” said Candilora. “And over time we learned that mistakes ‘grow our brain.’ We learn from mistakes and that makes our brain grow.”

But the growth process makes learning fun, because it takes off the pressure to “get it right the first time” and students and staff can say, “Oops I made a mistake.”

Students also have a chance to see Candilora serving in the church in many capacities. They see her around the school campus and they see her around the church serving in different ministries, such as extraordinary minister of the Eucharist. This makes both students and parents comfortable in approaching her because they see her not just as “the administrator” but as a disciple of Christ.

When she is working the parish fair, students hug her and parents talk to her about “everyday things.”

This fulfills her desire that children, some who will have spent 14 years at St. Aloysius from the beginning, remember the joy, fun in learning ‘and play’ and love they experienced at the school.

“It’s about being that one little thread in the whole big patchwork because one day I will be gone and it’s about the charism of the Daughters of Jesus,” she said. “It’s about the Catholic faith and we all contribute in our own little way but also to leave it better than we found it.”