When Marian Catholic High School began its alumni board in 1989, among the first to serve was recent law school graduate and member of the Marian class of 1981 Vince Krydynski.
“I felt that there was a need or a call for me to come back to the school, just because of what it had done for me as a student,” Krydynski said Tuesday. “When I got to a point that I could give back, that was the way I started — through service.”
From then on, Krydynski stayed active in the Marian Catholic community, earning the Chicago Heights school’s top spot as president in 2016. After leading students through a global pandemic and other challenges unique to private schools, he says it is time to make room for a fresh face.
“I think as leaders, sometimes we get into a situation, or we get to a certain position, and then all of a sudden we’re there many, many years. And sometimes you lose sight because you have your particular vision,” Krydynski said. “Sometimes, for the sake of the institution, you just need to have … someone to come in and look at the whole thing through a completely different lens.”
That different lens, Krydynski said, should be disciplined and collaborative to help Marian Catholic best execute its core values of prayer, study, community and preaching.
Krydynski said during his eight-year tenure, he learned the importance of leaning on fellow faculty and staff to provide students the best experiences possible as the world changed around them. He said seeking various perspectives while problem solving helped him, in turn, better support a quickly changing student population.
“We are a much more diverse building now than we’ve ever been, and I find that very encouraging,” Krydynski said. “I see that as a very strong positive because if kids are going to learn to work and live in the world today, we needed to start them as quickly as possible.”
However, Krydynski said he recognizes more should be done to reduce barriers for those seeking a Marian Catholic education, particularly following the end of a state-sponsored tax credit.
While those opposing the Invest in Kids program said it chipped away at public education, supporters such as Krydynski said it helped students in areas with traditionally underfunded public schools become more successful.
Without Invest in Kids, Krydynski said he worries Marian Catholic will be unable to provide as many scholarships for students who otherwise could not afford the tuition. He said the school has a team dedicated to raising money for scholarships and other school needs, but he is unsure if they will be able to fill the new gaps brought by the end of the tax credit.
“The only way we’re able to turn the lights on and pay the teachers and all that is through tuition dollars and donations — that’s it,” Krydynski said. “If we need some new structures or upgrades, we can’t float a referendum. We don’t go to the taxpayers and say we need some money from the tax rolls in order to increase teacher salaries or anything like that. We don’t have that ability.”
Still, Krydynski said one of his biggest achievements as president was improving the school’s financial position so it could begin adding resources and recreation opportunities, which he believes will continue past his retirement. He said he also worked to continue the legacy of Marian Catholic being a place where students can build long lasting relationships with their teachers and other students.
“If you were to talk to kids in the building today, they’re going to be able to point out and recollect a special relationship that they have with someone in the building that had a profound impact on their lives,” Krydynski said. “And I think that what you’re going to find for many of the alumni that graduate from Marian Catholic, it’s that special attention that the faculty and staff pay, and it’s just part of who we are.”
Marian Catholic has begun the search for its new president, who will take over when Krydynski retires at the end of this school year. The job posting is available on the school’s website, www.marianchs.com.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
