Though his first week of school was actually spent at home thanks to a snowy start to the semester,  Gibault Catholic High School recently welcomed a new principal with substantial experience in Catholic education.

Dr. Geoff Miller was announced to the role of principal by Gibault and the Diocese of Belleville in December.

His appointment is something of a return home, as Miller is originally from St. Louis.

In an interview with the Republic-Times, Miller said he attended Catholic school when he was younger, attending Indiana University to earn his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Religious Studies.

He concluded his higher education by attending Saint Louis University and The Catholic University of America, where he respectively earned his Master of Arts in Historical Theology and his Ph. D. in Theology and Religious Studies.

As detailed by both Miller and the diocese announcement, he’s spent about 20 years in Catholic education around the country.

He served as associate professor of theology at SLU and theology teacher at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Mo., Regis High School in New York and Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC.

In administrative and other positions, Miller was co-principal at St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago and provincial assistant at the Society of Jesus in St. Louis.

Miller explained his passion for Catholic education stemmed from personal experience when he was younger, particularly the positive impact many teachers had on him.

“I attended Catholic schooling from kindergarten up through 12th grade, went to a state university but then came back to Catholic education for my two graduate degrees,” Miller said. “I would say that I always enjoyed school. I was mostly immersed in Catholic education as a student, and I just had so many wonderful teachers that, as I was going into my late teens and my 20s, I was realizing that this was something that appealed to me and that I thought I could be good at.”

Miller further spoke to his lengthy career in faith-focused education, recalling how he learned a lot by trial and error in his earlier years but always stayed passionate.

“It doesn’t feel like it’s just a job that I have to do but more like a calling, like this is something that’s very authentic to me,” Miller said.

He also explained his shift from education to administration really began as he took an interest in mentorship, wanting to provide guidance for younger Catholic educators, including those he personally taught.

As he said, one such former student of his is already at Gibault.

“My career’s been about 20 years long at this point, and as I was getting into the 15-20 year range, I was realizing that I had more to give than just teaching,” Miller said. “I love teaching. I love working with young people, but I also realized that so many of my former students are now teachers themselves… and I realized that I had more to offer, that I could help this new group of educators coming up through the ranks, that I was in a position to be able to help them and guide them to teach the next generation.”

Miller said he found himself being invited to Gibault by former Diocese of Belleville Superintendent Jonathan Birdsong. He knew Miller from their shared history at St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago.

Though the start of his administration at Gibault has, as he said, mainly focused on declaring snow days, Miller has found the school and the community surrounding it to be plenty welcoming.

“I think the easiest impression I have is there’s just so many wonderful people here,” Miller said. “People are happy to be here. People know each other. It’s a very close, tight-knit community. Obviously I’m from the broader area, but I’m still new to Waterloo and Gibault, and people have been very welcoming and happy to have me as part of their family.”

Moving forward, Miller said he still needs to properly meet members of school staff and faculty to get a better idea of what needs the school has, but he generally hopes to keep Gibault moving in a positive direction, building on its history as a home for Catholic education in the diocese.

“Gibault has had a great history,” Miller said. “As I come here to Gibault, I’m trying to help Gibault be in a great position for the next several decades. How can it educate young people today in a way that prepares them for the future? I also want to make it known as a strong Catholic school in the metro east.”