By Kathi Stearns, Staff Writer

ATLANTA--William Bedford, Ph.D., has been named principal of both St. Anthony’s and Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Schools as they initiate their consolidation of administration and faculty in specialized areas.

Bedford, who holds a doctorate in educational administration, has 22 years of classroom experience, two years as principal of an elementary school, and four years of central office administration, including work in personnel, staff development, curriculum and grant writing. In conjunction with his classroom and administrative responsibilities, he served for 13 years as director of public relations for the Baldwin County Schools and acted as interim superintendent of the school system for the majority of the 1989-90 academic year. Most recently he was director of secondary education for Baldwin County.

Despite the fact that his educational experience has been in public school administration Bedford, 50, feels that his previous experiences can enhance the new program. “At times I will have a different perspective than some of the teachers and staff who have worked in Catholic schools. That will cause me to look at things differently; however, the blending of the two perspectives can be beneficial.”

Bedford, a parishioner and former volunteer youth minister of Sacred Heart Church in Milledgeville, received his bachelor’s degree in Latin and English from Morehead State University, Morehead, Ky., and his master’s degree in English education and Latin from Ohio State University. He received a doctorate from the University of Georgia.

“I feel as if I’m bringing a wealth of educational experience with me,” he said. “Besides my educational background I have worked with a culturally diverse population especially in the last 20 years in Milledgeville where approximately two-thirds of the student population is African-American.”

He feels this will be accomplished by the development of interactive communication skills and individual self-esteem in addition to a quality academic program. “I want to help children become independent individuals who have positive feelings about themselves as they become contributing members of our society.”

However, Bedford realized that the job of education cannot be successfully carried out by the educators alone. “It takes the whole community, the teacher, the parents and the parish, to provide our children with an education that will prepare them for life as responsible adults,” he said. “None of us can do the job alone.”

A decision to consolidate the two schools was announced last May in an attempt to combine faculty in the areas of foreign languages, music, art and computer science. Both schools will continue in their current locations. The reasoning behind the decision was that the budgets of both schools have been strained in an attempt to offer these courses for a relatively small group of students.

Last year Our Lady of Lourdes served approximately 160 students in kindergarten through sixth grade while St. Anthony’s served approximately 114 students in pre-kindergarten through eighth. Neither school was near its enrollment capacity.

During the 1994-95 academic year Maureen Kane, superintendent of schools for the archdiocese, also served as principal at St. Anthony’s while Father Frank Giusta, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes, was acting principal there.

While Bedford feels the consolidation will strengthen the current programs, he believes it is imperative to keep the separate identity of each school. “It is very important that we develop the distinct cultures of both the schools, each in its own direction,” said Bedford. “In the spring I would like to see both schools individually develop a mission statement and a vision of where they hope to see themselves in the future.”