 July 2018
Dear All, The Colón family has been on the move as of late. Around two weeks ago, we moved out of our home in Virginia and hopped onto I-64 west. A few days after that, we arrived at the “Gateway to the West” and settled into a beautiful home. And today, I begin an exciting new chapter in my life as the Head of Visitation Academy. I thought I could give you a brief report on my first day on the job and share with you how things have been going up until today. The transition has been remarkably smooth. Dan Hildebrand, the Sisters, Joe McKee and the entire Viz community have done an amazing job, and I feel humbled and awed to be a part of such an incredible institution. With our enrollments strong, our academic program thriving and our community optimistic about the future, I don’t think I could have started at a better time. There is so much going on – I’m not going to try to outline everything, but every conversation I have with members of the community teaches me something new and makes me even more excited. My wife, Nancy, and I have been to St. Louis on several occasions to house hunt and meet with members of the community. During my visits, I’ve had the chance to – among many other things – meet with the Sisters, meet with student leaders, get together with faculty and staff, attend two Board of Trustees meetings, and attend a Fathers’ Club trivia night. I even managed to attend a Cardinals game and begin my transition to Cardinals fandom! One of the most appealing aspects of coming to Viz is its emphasis on Salesian values, and a key part of that is the notion of “servant leadership.” I strongly believe that the foundation of servant leadership is building strong relationships within our community. To that end, I spent most of my day today meeting with members of the community and familiarizing myself with the campus. I will also make it a priority to reach out and connect with each and every one of you. Please feel free to reach out to me as well. The more I know about your experiences here at Viz, the better I can understand and serve our community. Whether that is as a student, a member of our faculty and staff, as an alum, or parent, each of you provide an important chapter in our story and will help make me a better informed member of this community who can best represent our identity as one of the premier Catholic schools in the St. Louis community. I welcome this incredible opportunity and look forward to meeting with you soon. Yours in Christ, David Colón |
