Steve Straessle

His “teacher’s heart” and “storyteller’s soul” led him into education, said Steve Straessle, principal since 2005 of Catholic High in Little Rock.
A teacher’s heart moves him to help a boy “achieve his potential and find his way in a world that will often divert him from achieving his potential.” As for his storyteller’s soul, Straessle said, “The best teachers can find the storyline in their subject matter. And if you can bring out that storyline and make it come alive, then that is what is going to not only help kids learn; it is what will help them be inspired.”
A Catholic High graduate himself, Straessle also served as a teacher at the school from 1992-99, took a break to work as an artifacts broker and returned to the school in 2001. Although Monsignor George Tribou died in 2001, he remains a legend at the school he guided as principal for nearly 40 years. It’s not easy stepping into the shoes of a legend. By the time Straessle became principal, the school’s enrollment had dropped to a low of 579 students and he had to figure out a way to reinvigorate both school and staff.
“When Father Tribou died — remember, he had been the icon here for 50 years — I think a certain malaise kind of spread over the school in the sense that when a great leader dies, what comes next?” Straessle said. “What I found was that the next great leader was not one individual but the 38 teachers who populated the school. Instead of building one icon, we built 38 of them.”
The school now has 735 students, and even in the face of recession has seen revenue grow. Catholic High and Straessle are preparing to begin a multimillion-dollar capital campaign for a thorough renovation of the school and grounds.
Straessle said one of the school’s secrets of success was its culture of accountability. “Everything that a boy has as a result of Catholic High, he earned.”

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