6 minute read
Meet Dr. Edward Lindekugel: Our New Assistant Head of School
Dr. Lindekugel’s first week on the job at Holy Spirit Prep was tough – he had to walk around the school dressed like a pirate. “The day after I accepted the position, I tore my retina in a game of basketball,” he recounts. “I had to wear an eye patch for weeks.” Then came a sinus infection, then the flu, then five kidney stones. Then his car died. Nonetheless, Dr. Lindekugel was not deterred in his calling to the Holy Spirit Prep community – eye patch and all.
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One of the first things you’ll learn when you meet Dr. Ed Lindekugel is that he cracks jokes – a lot. “Some of them land, some of them don’t,” he admits. “I believe we need to be able to laugh at ourselves and do our best to have fun with the work that we do.” But whether you laugh out loud or groan at his one-liners, you will quickly be taken by his sincerity about Holy Spirit Prep and his purpose here.
“As someone who has worked at five other Catholic schools in my career,” he said to a group of sixth-grade parents, “let me assure you that what you have here is truly special. I can tell you from experience that Holy Spirit Prep is getting the important things right.”
Dr. Lindekugel joined Holy Spirit Prep in April as its Assistant Head of School and Upper School Principal. He is a long-time educator who left the telecommunications consulting world in 1997 when he felt a call from God to teach. Eighteen years ago, he became principal of a Catholic school, and he has been a Catholic school administrator and consultant to independent schools since. This role, he says, is his favorite. “I’m being honest with you when I say that this is my dream job. For years, I have viewed Holy Spirit Prep as a beacon and exemplar of what a loving, faithful, and strong Catholic school community can be. I could not be more grateful to be a part of this.”
As Upper School Principal and Assistant Head, Dr. Lindekugel’s attention is on nurturing what Holy Spirit Prep does best. “A lot of Catholic schools struggle because they’re not identifying where they want to excel,” Dr. Lindekugel tells people. “Moving forward, Holy Spirit Prep will focus its attention and resources on four areas: Catholic culture, excellent academics, character-building athletics, and the fine arts.”
TRANSFORMATIVE CATHOLIC CULTURE
Dr. Lindekugel points to our campus ministry’s apostolates – clubs dedicated to service – as one of the most promising aspects of our school’s Catholic culture.“I once chaperoned a trip to Restoration Atlanta, a shelter for women. When we got there, they told us we would share breakfast and dinner with the residents. I’ll be honest, it was terrifying for me. Why would they want to talk to me? Our assistant principal showed me how to talk to them, and helped me see how I could share God’s love with them, largely by listening and showing them genuine care. It was transformational for me.”
That transformative moment shapes Ed’s approach to student formation and service. “We want to move even more towards walking with them in these types of [transformative] activities, as opposed to sending them off to go out and doing a bunch of service hours without a real understanding of how they fit into our role as followers of Christ. When I was in high school, I tutored kids at the grade school because it was easy to set up and do. I could check a box and feel good about getting it done - but I had no real idea what service was and how to show love to people outside my comfort zone,” Dr. Lindekugel said.
“This is what I mean about Catholic culture,” Dr. Lindekugel said. “It means we behave as Catholics should behave. We need to love our neighbor – which means giving them what they need. In some cases that is simply conversation, in others a kind word or some encouragement. Sometimes, loving means providing formative discipline. Evangelization of the message of Christ is an invitation, not an imposition of faith. We want to foster development of a deeper relationship with Christ in ourselves and our students.”
EXCELLENCE IN ACADEMICS
“When I came in,” Dr. Lindekugel notes, looking back at his first weeks on campus, “some things were particularly clear to me. I could see that our students are thriving here in the Upper School and in college after graduation. We have an incredible track record of acceptance rates, awarded scholarship amounts, and success in life. However, there were some things to work on as well.”
His vision for student learning is about opportunities and support. “We need more electives. We need to support students who are not in the resource center, but are struggling because… they’re normal people. So, we’re finding ways to expand academic support service for all of our kids. Our student support team supports all of our students.” Beginning this fall, Dr. Lindekugel has organized a newly established relationship between HolySpirit Prep and the Georgia Tech CatholicCenter, whose students will support the tutoring needs of our own.
CHARACTER- BUILDING ATHLETICS
Dr. Lindekugel is working closely with the Athletics Department to redefine our athletic program. “Athletics exist at Holy Spirit Prep to build character in our students,” he said. To that end, Dr. Lindekugel has announced new efforts in coach training and mentorship for character development, a plan to maximize students’ ability to participate, continuing to support and expand developmental programs at the Lower School, and improving academic support for struggling athletes.
FOUNDATIONAL FINE ARTS
Dr. Lindekugel’s investment in the arts is well-established. At a previous school, he helped build an award-winning band program that enrolled 20% of the entire school’s population. His doctoral dissertation, “Band on the Brain: Instrumental Music and Student Achievement,” demonstrated the increased academic achievement of those students enrolled in instrumental music instruction as compared to their peers.
“We’re revising our entire performing arts curriculum across campuses,” he said. Under his direction, the Lower School is currently preparing to implement piano instruction for all Kindergartners- 3 rd graders, and piano, instrumental, and choral tracks for students beginning in 4th grade. “By the time students enter the Upper School, they’ll be able to read music. There are countless ties between music and positive brain development.” The Upper School has already enhanced its choral and theater program, and plans to introduce a full band program in 2020-2021.
These four areas are the foundational pillars upon which Holy Spirit Prep’s future will be built. Dr. Lindekugel believes strongly in the intellect, character, and grit they will foster in Holy Spirit Prep students because he has seen their transformative impact in his own life, in the lives of his own children, and in countless students he has served in his educational career.
