By Amy White
The Texas Catholic
PLANO — “I can’t imagine being anywhere else but in a Catholic school,” Casey Buckstaff said. “I love walking through the door. I love what I do so much.”
Buckstaff, who joined the John Paul II High School community as the school’s newly appointed president this year, begins her time at the school with a heart on fire for Catholic education and with years of experience in Catholic education already behind her.
Buckstaff’s love for Catholic schooling began with her own experience as a Catholic school student. A native Illinoisan, Buckstaff attended St. Raymond Elementary School in Mount Prospect, Ill. before graduating from Prospect High School in 1999. She studied history with a minor in international peace studies at the University of Notre Dame. Following her graduation in 2003, Buckstaff taught at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Baltimore as part of Operation Teach, a teaching program run through the Archdiocese of Baltimore, during which time she also earned a master’s degree in teaching.
In 2006, Buckstaff accepted a full time volunteer position with Catholic Relief Services in Mindanao, Philippines. In this position, she worked with CRS to develop middle school and high school curricula to teach children about conflict resolution and accepting differences.
In 2007, Buckstaff returned to Mount Carmel, where she served as assistant principal. She also took on the role of assistant principal at St. John the Evangelist School and the role of principal at Monsignor Slade Catholic School, before returning to St. John the Evangelist to serve as principal for nine years. In 2018, she earned a second master’s degree, this time in nonprofit administration.
“Having read Mrs. Buckstaff’s resume prior to our first meeting, I was immediately impressed by her extensive experience and leadership in Catholic education,” said Kayla Brown, principal at JPII. “Her commitment to the values and mission of Catholic schools was evident. Upon meeting her, she emanated a profound sense of calm, strength, and peace. I am confident that these qualities are exceptionally well-suited to the needs of JPII at this time, and I look forward to the opportunity to work with and learn from her.”
For her part, Buckstaff said that joining the JPII community was a peaceful decision.
“You can tell when you walk through the door, it’s a very special place,” Buckstaff said. “The students are amazing as are all the parents and faculty. There’s so much love for this place, for the school, and so much hope and excitement for the future.”
As she looked to the future of JPII, Buckstaff expressed great enthusiasm.
“My heart is on fire for this work, and that’s what I want to bring to the students in our care. That’s how I want the faculty to feel when they walk through the door—the board, the parents,” Buckstaff shared. “People in Catholic education often times refer to our schools as a school family, and that comes from the heart. You can check the boxes of all the great things that you’re doing academically, athletically, fine arts, board, fundraising. All of those very quantitative things—they are wonderful—but I think what draws a lot of us to Catholic education is that our vocation to bring young people closer to the heart of Jesus in every facet of their days gives us our spiritual mission and a unique enthusiasm for our work at John Paul II High School. And that’s what makes us know that this is a super special place for all of us.”
Editor’s note: Find more stories about new administrators and coverage celebrating Catholic schools in the Diocese of Dallas in our Aug. 23 print edition.
