If you had told Mary Kay Jones a decade ago that soon, she would be the principal at Blessed Sacrament School in Jonesboro, she wouldn’t have believed you. Jones has been an educator for 13 years at Blessed Sacrament Church and School.
“Catholic education has always been very important to me and my family. I have been a student in Catholic schools through grade school, high school, college and post-grad,” she said. “When I was approached to apply for the principal position, I was surprised. My background is in marketing and business.”
After much discernment and discussion with her family — and after learning that the Diocese of Little Rock partners with St. Louis University for a master’s degree in Catholic leadership — Jones made her decision.
“I recognized that this was the Holy Spirit leading me back to a place that offers a sense of home — Catholic schools. I was scared to undertake this mission — it’s a major responsibility. It was a challenge, and I had peace that God would see me through it.”
While Jones said becoming principal in 2017 was her first unexpected challenge, the COVID-19 pandemic was a close second.
“We all faced challenges in navigating new waters of education …,” she said. “An integral component of Catholic education is community and relationships. It’s personal. During that scary time, we learned we can do difficult things. … I believe that Blessed Sacrament, along with other Catholic schools, were shining examples of how to embrace challenges and become more resilient in our efforts to provide an education of the whole person, despite the disruption of a pandemic.”
Jones also worked hard to let parents know that in spite of the school’s rural location, they offered all of the valuable amenities that other parochial schools do.
“Another challenge I discovered early on was convincing parents that an education from BSCS was an exceptional and unique option in Craighead County,” she said. “Our county has five public school districts. Many of the public schools are graded as ‘A’ schools. Parents questioned why they should pay for an education when their children can go for free at any of these public schools. The challenge became differentiating BSCS as an option for those who wanted rigorous academics in an environment that was safe, caring and provided students with a moral compass. BSCS experienced a 49 percent growth in enrollment from 2017 to 2023. This increase was prior to the introduction of the LEARNS Act.”
As Jones prepares to retire at the end of this school year, she’s looking forward to spending more time with her husband of 34 years, Robert, and traveling to visit their four daughters.
“Even though there were many challenges, what shines brighter are the many opportunities serving as principal has afforded me,” she said. “The opportunity to build up the kingdom of God alongside supportive pastors, Father Alphonse Gollapalli and Msgr. Scott Friend. Their guidance in shepherding our school community and parish is a reminder of God’s infinite love and mercy.
“The faculty and staff who share in our mission are examples of teaching with servants’ hearts. I am grateful for the opportunity to attend Mass weekly as a school community and profess our faith daily. I am grateful for the many families who have entrusted the care and education of their children to us. These opportunities are what I reflect upon and will stay with me more so than the challenges.”
