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KENNEWICK -- Ralph LeCompte spent a few minutes last week helping a kindergarten student get registered for classes at St. Joseph's School in Kennewick.
The little girl told him she was excited about all the new things the year will hold.
LeCompte could identify. He's a veteran educator, but the coming school year will be his first as principal of the private Catholic school on West Fourth Avenue.
"This is my parish and (my) chance to serve it in a different capacity and to build the future of the school," he said.
LeCompte retired as assistant principal of Southridge High School in Kennewick at the end of the 2007-08 academic year.
He was popular with students, known for brightening days with silly jokes and by dedicating the morning announcements to kids who'd accomplished something big or just needed a pick-me-up.
He plans to bring that same enthusiasm to St. Joseph's.
About 400 students are expected to attend this year, and LeCompte said one of his goals is to build on those numbers.
The school -- which serves kids in prekindergarten through eighth grade -- also is undertaking a capital project. Leaders are raising $3.4 million for a new 17,000-square-foot middle school building complete with science and computer labs, a library and music and multipurpose space.
They already have raised more than $2.2 million and hope to break ground by June 2011.
LeCompte said this is an important time in Catholic education. Enrollment is on the decline at Catholic schools across the country, in large part because of the slumping economy.
It's up to leaders to spread the word about the benefits of a parochial school like St. Joseph's, he said.
At the school, students learn core subjects such as reading and science. They also take religious classes and regularly attend Mass. That helps them make connections between the faith and the other subjects they're learning, LeCompte said.
That's how he was drawn to Catholicism in the first place. He grew up as a Protestant but converted after being introduced to Catholic theology in college.
He started his teaching career in Vancouver in 1976, later moving to the Pasco School District where he eventually became vice principal of McLoughlin Middle School.
LeCompte then went to Kennewick. He was Southridge High's assistant principal from the time it opened in 1995 until he retired.
He said he tried to treat students and staff there in a way that embodied his Catholic faith.
"The added dimension (at St. Joseph's) is that we can talk about it and add it to our curriculum, sports," he said. "We can confess Christ and build the faith."
His new office at the school demonstrates his devotion to both education and religion.
There's a framed poster of Abraham Lincoln hanging over his desk. LeCompte admires the president and scholar and salvaged the poster from the satellite campus where Southridge High met before its permanent home was finished in 1997.
LeCompte's office also has prints of religious-themed paintings by the Renaissance artist El Greco -- including one of Jesus with the cross -- and a copy of the Prayer of St. Francis. The prayer begins, "Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace."
Father Richard Sedlacek, a priest at St. Joseph's, said people in the parish are excited about LeCompte taking over as principal.
"It's a new direction for him in life. He's well-qualified. He's a good man, faith-filled," Sedlacek said. "We're blessed and fortunate to have him. We look forward to him helping move the school forward."
LeCompte agreed a year ago to replace the school's retiring principal. But he wanted to take a year off before he started to re-energize.
His goals for the coming year include raising the profile of St. Joseph's in the community and bolstering the sports program. Athletics can be used to teach moral lessons, like the importance of shaking hands with opponents at the end of a game, he said.
He'll build on the traditions the school already has in place from its 45-year history, and maybe create some new ones.
He said he can't wait for Aug. 31, the first day of classes.
"At this point in my life," he said, sitting in his office, "this job has deep meaning for me."
* Sara Schilling: 509-582-1402; sschilling@tricityherald.com
