The president of Roncalli High School is retiring after 41 years at the school.
Joseph Hollowell spent the past 25 years as president of the southside Catholic school, which serves many Johnson County students, after five years as principal. He was the first person to hold the rank of president at Roncalli.
During the other 11 years of his Roncalli tenure, he was a football and baseball coach, chemistry teacher and dean of students, according to a news release from the school.
He will retire at the end of the school year, Roncalli announced on Friday.
During his time as president, Roncalli became the largest private school in Indiana, growing in students and geographic area, as the campus grew from 14 to 45 acres. Hollowell also helped raise $35 million to add a chapel, administrative wing, the Fine Arts Center, an auxiliary gym and 30 classrooms to the school. The school renovated the media center, its classrooms and its athletic areas including its stadium. It will also open a 25,000 square-foot gymnasium in the near future, according to the release.
Hollowell’s dedication to the school has paid dividends over the decades, said Gina Fleming, superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, in a written statement.
“The steadfast leadership of Dr. Hollowell has positively impacted tens of thousands of lives,” Fleming said. “His deep desire to serve God and his people is evident in all he does. We are most grateful for Dr. Hollowell’s service and leadership and thank him for growing Roncalli High School into such a wonderful home where students are educated and formed in the Catholic faith.”
Roncalli and the Office of Catholic Schools will start looking for Hollowell’s successor next week, according to the release.
“Dr. Hollowell’s dedication and commitment towards the growth, success and long-term viability of Roncalli is unparalleled,” said Roncalli board chairman Dr. Jeff Amodeo. “On behalf of the board of directors, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Hollowell for his lifetime commitment, not only to Roncalli, but also to furthering Catholic education. We offer prayers and best wishes as he prepares for the next phase in his life.”
