Scecina High School in Indianapolis
hires new principal

By Brandon A. Evans

The past year has been a time of transition for Father Thomas Scecina Memorial High School in Indianapolis.

Not only did a new president—Kevin Caspersen—arrive last year, and not only is a new chaplain on his way, but the school is adding a new principal to its family following the resignation of Rick Ruhl at the end of this school year.

Thomas Davis, currently a Latin teacher and chair of the foreign language department at Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis, has been tapped to help Caspersen lead the high school into its second 50 years of education.

Davis has been a member of the Scecina board of directors for the last two and a half years. He graduated from the school in 1979.

He has had experience teaching at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Wabash College, Ball State University and Indiana University. He also taught Latin for eight years at Shelbyville High School in Shelbyville.

Caspersen said that Davis won the support of the search committee during the process of his interviews.

“I was looking for a strong academic leader—someone who would be able to lead the faculty,” Caspersen said, “someone who would have a clear understanding of the Catholic mission to educate the students in spirit, mind and body, and to do that with real vigor.

“I think that Tom Davis is going to help us sink our roots even more deeply into our academic tradition.”

Davis said that part of the reason he was interested in the job was because he has been pleased with the direction that the school has been moving—and he wants to do as much for professional development as he can.

“My concern would be with the quality of student life, the quality of teaching, the quality of curriculum and the supervision of that curriculum,” Davis said.

Part of improvement, though, doesn’t mean embracing every latest trend in education circles.

“I believe in doing what works,” Davis said. To him, that means “preserving the best of the old and making … sure that what we do new is tested and reasonable and effective.”

His time spent in the classroom has helped him see what works in communicating to students—and he said that he will miss being a full-time teacher, even though he will teach one Latin course at Scecina.

Caspersen said that he and Davis will work well together because “neither one of us wants the other person’s job.”

While Caspersen’s concerns as president are more external, Davis’ are more internal—but the two work in tandem, Caspersen said.

He said that Davis is joining him in helping people know about the good things that go on at Scecina and inviting them to participate “in this adventure of Catholic education.”

Davis and his wife, Barbara, who is a medical doctor, have two children and are members of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. †