Dr. Steven Cheeseman, president and CEO of the National Catholic Education Association, visited Little Rock and North Little Rock Catholic schools March 18-19. Father Tom Simonds, director of school engagement for NCEA, accompanied Cheeseman. The visit was part of Cheeseman’s “Bright Lights of Catholic Education Tour.”
He began visiting Catholic schools nationwide shortly after accepting the role of president and CEO in August 2024.
“This nationwide campaign celebrates, learns from and shines a spotlight on the remarkable work happening in Catholic schools across the country,” he wrote. “At the heart of this campaign is a simple yet profound goal: to showcase the ‘Bright Lights’ of Catholic education and inspire our community to continue being the light in a world that so desperately needs it.”
During those visits, Cheeseman and Father Simonds took notes, pictures and videos, which will be featured in a video about the Bright Lights tour to be shown at the annual NCEA convention April 22-24 in Orlando, Fla. This year’s theme is Be the Light.
Over the course of two days, Cheeseman and Father Simonds visited St. Theresa, Christ the King, Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of the Holy Souls, North Little Rock Catholic Academy, and Immaculate Heart of Mary. Each school highlighted their uniqueness and some of the special offerings they provide. St. Theresa highlighted their dual language program and the community outreach, including its partnership with Pax Christi and the Arkansas Food Bank. At Christ the King, Cheesman enjoyed learning about the band program and witnessed students working on STEM projects. At Immaculate Conception, students were excited to share their thoughts on their robotics elective.
At Holy Souls, the day began with an all-school Mass to celebrate St. Joseph’s feast day. While touring the school, they learned that students were working on the production of “The Little Mermaid” and creating ceramic holy water fonts in art. At Immaculate Heart of Mary, the two learned about a cross-curricular project where students drew artwork and wrote short articles about animals at the local Humane Society to be used to make the community aware of animals available for adoption. North Little Rock Catholic Academy featured a junior high history project.
