NEWARK — Joe Rodia has been big on community his entire life. From his neighborhood in Southwest Philadelphia to his Ss. Peter and Paul Parish in West Chester, Pa., to the various schools where he’s worked, “community” has been a common feature.
He’s bringing his vision of community this year to Christ the Teacher Catholic School in Newark, where he is the new principal. He comes to Christ the Teacher from Chesterbrook Academy in Pennsylvania, finding a school that “checked every box” of what he was seeking.
“The first time I researched Christ the Teacher, I was super-impressed with everything that they do,” Rodia said recently in his office at the school. “From how they integrate faith – over 70 student Masses a year – the community, their sports program, the tenure of their teachers.
“The more I talked to people about it … everybody just lit up when I mentioned the school. I guess the biggest thing was the community. I believe schools are a gathering place for people to grow and develop, just these great communities. Everything about this place screamed community. It felt like this was the spot where I wanted to be.”
Christ the Teacher retained nearly 95 percent of its enrollment from last year, and there was just one teacher vacancy to fill. Rodia wants to take that enthusiasm about the school and ramp it up as it approaches its 25th year of existence.
“There’s a lot I want to do, and we will do,” he said, but that would be more likely in his second or third year at the school. He will spend much of this year getting to know the families and other members of the Christ the Teacher orbit, although some aesthetic changes and other adjustments have been made already.
He has notebooks filled after meeting with every teacher over the summer and hearing their wants and needs. He did the same thing with many of the parents. He also has met with the four pastors whose parishes sponsor the school. Slowing down goes against his nature, but it is important, he noted.
““I’m an action leader. I like to be out and active,” he said. “Probably the most difficult part is to pause. Pause and listen. I think leadership’s about listening.”
Rodia is no stranger to Catholic education. He attended St. Barnabas School and West Catholic High School in Philadelphia before attending West Chester and Penn State universities. He has a master’s degree from Neumann University in Aston, Pa. His son, Joe, is a rising senior at Salesianum School in Wilmington, so Rodia has gotten to know a bit about education in Delaware the past few years.
Rodia, 51, said an eighth-grade teacher, Mary Ann Cox, was a great inspiration as he gravitated toward education. He was also influenced by his experiences as a youngster, particularly his days as a Catholic Youth Organization athlete, where coaches left their imprint.
“I was fortunate to have some great coaches that became mentors, and then later in life friends, that inspired me to want to lead young people,” he said.
During his career as a teacher and administrator, Rodia has been coaching youth sports for more than 20 years, and for the past eight, he has been the athletic director at his parish, Ss. Peter and Paul.
He taught younger grades for much of his career, but he said he always leaned toward leadership roles, learning from his late father, Joe, who was a neighborhood captain. He likes to lead not only students, but teachers “because that ultimately trickles down to the students.”
He has a stepson, Ethan, with wife Michelle. The family likes to explore the area and try new restaurants, and Rodia likes to golf but says he isn’t very good. His role as athletic director for his parish CYO program keeps him busy, and he enjoys Philadelphia’s sports teams.
His new job means a lot more time in the car on the way to and from school, but Rodia said that just means his brain has to work a bit differently. He does different things on the road. Some days, he’ll be on the phone with his team at Christ the Teacher. He has discovered some new podcasts, and audiobooks are a possibility.
Other times, it’s “just put Springsteen on and let the music go” or listen to Philadelphia sports talk radio.
“There’s a million things to do,” he said.
