The Diocese of Harrisburg, in partnership with the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), has announced that Sister Eileen McGowan, principal of St. Joan of Arc Catholic School in Hershey, was a recipient of the 2022 Lead. Learn. Proclaim. Award. This accolade highlights the work of Catholic school educators in communities across the country and recognizes the "outstanding efforts, contributions, and achievements on behalf of Catholic school education," according to NCEA's website. McGowan and 12 other honorees were recognized during the NCEA 2022 Convention on April 18 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside.

Helen Remington, computer technology, STEM, and physical education instructor at Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School, nominated McGowan. Nominees were evaluated on 20 criteria, and McGowan was among five principals selected to receive the award.

McGowan has served St. Joan of Arc Catholic School for 35 years. In addition to seeing the school through the pandemic, McGowan was at the helm in the summer of 2020 when the school moved to a new building to accommodate current and future growth. The school has just under 500 students, making it one of the largest Catholic schools in the Diocese of Harrisburg.

Open to students in prekindergarten through eighth grade, St. Joan of Arc Catholic School is located just outside of Hershey in Hummelstown and has sought to form hearts, inform minds, and transform lives since 1927. The school has been under the direction of the Daughters of Our Lady of Mercy for more than 90 years. More information on Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School can be found at http://school.stjoanhershey.org/.

The schools in the Diocese of Harrisburg enroll nearly 10,000 students and seek to provide a rigorous academic education while providing moral and faith formation according to the teachings of Jesus Christ. To learn more about Catholic education in the Diocese of Harrisburg, visit http://www.gocatholicschools.org.

To learn more about the NCEA, visit http://www.ncea.org.