1. Growing up, her father instilled in her an interest in sports and particularly the Green Bay Packers.
2. She is a huge country music fan and makes time to attend concerts when she can.
3. A fan of the Chicago Cubs, she loves attending major league baseball games with her family.
4. She is really close with her three daughters Lauren, Ashley and Mary-Kathryn.
5. At this year’s Krewe de Cardinal, the St. Richards School fundraiser, she will help raise funds with a Principal David’s Daquiri Bar.
When Jennifer David entered college, she was still undecided about which career path she would take, like many other students. She later felt called to pursue education, and since then she has devoted herself to having a positive impact on students.
David serves as the principal at St. Richard Catholic School. She comes from a long line of educators, which initially sparked her interest in pursuing a career in education.
The Columbus native earned her bachelor’s degree in education at Mississippi University for Women, then went to Marymount University for a master’s degree in educational leadership and administration.
She took over as principal at St. Richard Catholic School in the fall of 2017. Before that, she was the principal at St. Patrick Catholic School for three years and worked for 18 years as a teacher prior to that.
There are 222 students enrolled at St. Richard Catholic School, from pre-K3 through sixth grade, with approximately 45 faculty and staff members.
“The first thing that really sets us apart is that we have the Catholic identity component, which is the reason why we exist,” David said. “So, that allows us to give a well-rounded education. We look at the whole child, from the spiritual side to the academic to the physical.”
Diversity is also a big part of the school’s identity.
“We’re diverse in many ways,” David said. “What I mean by that is that we have a variety of academic abilities. Students who are on the whole spectrum of learning. We also have economic diversity. I’m proud to say we are able to provide assistance when we can in that need. We are diverse among the racial makeup of our students and the families they come from.”
In addition to diversity in the academic, economic and racial makeup of its students, the school also has a wide array of religious backgrounds under the same roof as well.
“You don’t have to be Catholic to come here, and a lot of people don’t realize that,” she said.
“We really do feel like this is a family and all are welcome,” David said. “We have all of those differences in our school, but the students don’t see those.”
Students at St. Richard have the chance to get to know other students in other grades through the school’s house system. They are divided into “houses,” which are named after saints.
“They learn about the saint and the life that they lived,” David said. “Your house becomes like your family, because you meet with your house regularly and either have house meetings or house challenges. In a house, there might be about 12 to 15 students of all ages.”
The mission of St. Richards is its dedication to providing academic excellence for all students, as well as instilling a reverence for God and instilling a respect for all life and a commitment to serve others in a safe, Catholic environment.
“We do pride ourselves on academic excellence,” David said. “We feel like we have data that supports that our students excel. The religious component and high academic excellence, that’s the reason why we’re here.”
“We have high expectations, and we expect our students to follow what we call cardinal pride,” she added.
Each month, the school has a service project that students can participate in.
“This month, we do our Manhattan Mall,” David said.
Students set up little “stores” with donated items, so at one booth they may have cologne or perfume, at another they may have candy, cookies and treats.
“Then the residents come through with little paper ‘bills’ and get to go shopping,” David said. “And there’s a gift-wrapping station at the end. So, they can buy for themselves or gifts to give their grandchildren when they come visit. It’s the sweetest project.”
Students help residents around while they shop as well.
These projects are one of the ways that David said the school works toward its mission to serve others.
