My name is Lauren Clements and I am the proud principal of Corryville Catholic School. It seems as if Catholic education runs in our family. My husband, Joe, is the principal at St. Francis Seraph School. Our daughter Caitlyn is a sophomore at St. Bonaventure University. Jack is a sophomore at Moeller High School, and Joseph is at St. Clement School. We believe that Catholic education has made such a difference in our lives and we are thankful that we can all live out our faith at work and at home.

The strongest role model in my life, my mom, was a second-grade teacher. She passed along her passion for education to me, and I always knew I would spend my career educating children. I earned my bachelor’s degree in early childhood development from The Ohio State University and a Masters in Inclusive Education from Mt St. Joseph University. My most recent education was completed at The University of Notre Dame, gaining my TESOL certification to teach English as a second language. Throughout my 14 years of teaching 1st and 2nd grade, I became passionate about becoming the teacher my students needed. As a principal, that passion remains, but has shifted focus to supporting teachers, ensuring they have every opportunity available to be a teacher at the top of their game.

It has been four busy years since I answered the call to begin my principalship. I feel so fortunate to be part of the Corryville Catholic and CISE communities. The best part of my job is building relationships with students, families, and teachers. Academic achievement continues to improve with the implementation of a new reading curriculum and math framework. We know our efforts are paying off with 90% of our 8th graders being accepted to Catholic high schools. All the success we are experiencing at Corryville would not be possible without the support of CISE. CISE provides funding for critical programs such as nursing, mental health, and our after-school program. These programs provide the wrap-around support to make sure no students fall through the cracks. Recently, a grandmother of an alum called Corryville expressing her gratitude for the work we do within our school. She said that without a doubt Corryville is what made a difference in her grandson’s life and prepared him for high school success.

Thank you to our entire CISE community for being the difference makers in our students’ lives.