Marguerite Olberts’ career has been marked in decades.
The associate superintendent for Catholic schools began her school administration career in 1995 as the principal of Our Lady of Fatima Church in Benton.
Ten years later, she moved to St. Theresa School to lead the Little Rock school.
After 10 years in that role, she needed to dedicate more time to her family, so she took a part-time job working in the diocese’s Office of Catholic Schools in 2015.
Now, 10 years later, she is retiring, effective May 29.
For the past decade, Olberts has been focused on improving marketing and development in the 26 Catholic schools in the state.
“I think part of the progress that I’ve seen is that the schools are making a more concerted effort toward marketing,” she said. “For a long time, as Catholic schools, we just operated, we did what we do and we thought people would see the good work that we did, and people would just come. Children would come, parents would come. It was that way when my parents had us in Catholic schools growing up. It was what you did as a Catholic family. However, things change, and that’s no longer the case. Your pastor just said that your kids, all Catholic kids, will go to Catholic schools.
“But it’s harder now. There’s more demands on families; there’s more competition. There are other private schools. There are, of course, the public-school option. Families have the option of having religious formation classes on the weekends, and it’s important for Catholic schools to get their message out, to tell their story, to reach out to parents within the parish and within the community, to make sure people know they’re there and what they do. And I think we are doing a better job of that. We’re not where we need to be completely. It’s harder for the smaller schools to do that. We try in our office, and I hope I’ve tried over the 10 years to provide some of those resources and be a resource for the principals.”
With the introduction of Education Freedom Accounts in the state in 2023, Catholic schools are a possibility for more families, especially from low- and middle-income households. Schools now don’t have to organize 10 to 15 fundraisers a year to pay the bills.
“Now we have the EFAs, but before that, ACE, the Alliance for Choice in Education. When it came on, that was a huge game-changer for our schools. It gave them the opportunity to have a funding source beyond just what they could raise or what the parish was willing to give them toward tuition assistance. So those are some things that I can’t say I’m really responsible for, but I’m thankful I was a part of.”
In a column in the April 26 issue, superintendent Theresa Hall wrote a tribute to Olberts, noting her prayerful and sunny disposition.
“First and most important for a Catholic school, she had a wonderful prayer life. She had a positive attitude, no matter how difficult the situation. She truly loved and cared about every single student and parent, regardless of the predicament. She was organized and worked hard for her school. Her leadership was top-notch. The list could go on and on.”
The member of Christ the King Church in Little Rock said she will stay connected to Catholic schools through her seven grandchildren and one step-grandchild. But what is most on her mind is the need to be available more for two older family members.
“Part of the motivation (to retire now) is having elderly family members — my mom and my uncle — who I have the privilege to have in my life, still at 91 and 97… They need some assistance. I’m thankful to be able to do that.
“My husband and I hope to travel some more. He’s been retired since 2020, so it will be nice for us to spend more time together. I don’t ever want to take for granted how long the Lord will give us together. But you know that’s important to me, and just being open to whatever the Lord has got in store. He’s led and guided me so far, and I have absolute faith and confidence he’ll keep doing that.”
