LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Joseph Waler was nominated by an anonymous colleague.

"I cannot lead this school alone. We must all be leaders."  This is how Mr. Waler started the 2020-21 school year with the faculty and students of Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin School. Although it was the start of an extremely unique year for schools all over the world, this has been Mr. Waler's belief throughout more than 12 years of service to the NDCL community. He takes the school's mission to "educate leaders to transform the world," to heart.

Mr. Waler's commitment to shared leadership has led the school to receive the National Blue Ribbon Award from the US Department of Education, as well as the Cleveland Top Workplaces award for three consecutive years. Most recently, his school received the Blackboard Catalyst Award. NDCL was the only high school in the world to be given this prestigious award. Mr. Waler sees the power of networking and has worked with his faculty and staff to create a powerful partnership with the Cleveland Clinic, allowing more NDCL students to be granted internships at the Clinic than any other high school in Ohio.

Mr. Waler saw the need for his predominantly white, upper-middle class students to have a broader vision of how people struggle in our world. He empowered his Campus Ministers to begin an outreach program in the inner-city of Cleveland that has fed and provided companionship to the homeless every week for the last two years, even throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr. Waler believes in his faculty and has entrusted them with developing quality, student-centered lessons with excellence as the ultimate value. His leadership has consistently allowed 100% of NDCL students to graduate on time, with more than $2 million worth of offered scholarships from colleges all over the country. When a teacher approaches him with an idea, he finds a way to say "yes" whenever possible. This has led to innovative and successful program development, including many college-level courses being taught on campus. Students can leave NDCL with a full year of college credits already earned.

"When the pandemic caused the whole world to shut down, NDCL seamlessly moved to an online model because the whole school community was already effectively using technology in every area," said the colleague. "However, knowing that we are better together, Mr. Waler led the faculty to develop protocols and procedures that allowed NDCL to be fully back to school in person when the 2020-21 school year started. Part of the impetus to bring students back to campus was that students are empowered to be leaders, both in and outside of the classroom."

Mr. Waler has helped to develop robust extra-curricular programs where any student can find their niche. When his teacher leaders say they want to start a new program, his go-to answer is "Go for it!"  This has led to strong athletics, a dynamic music and performing arts program, and academic teams such as Mock Trial, Mu Alpha Theta, and Robotics. The most recent addition was an E-sports team for the avid gamers of the school community. These programs, along with many, many others, have helped students develop leadership skills and stay engaged and connected to the school community. 

"Mr. Waler would never claim the credit for any of these accomplishments," his nominator said. "His humble nature and unassuming manner would lead him to give all the credit to his professional colleagues. However, every member of the school community, from faculty, to administrative staff, to parents, to students, know that he is at the heart of all that happens at NDCL. His love for the students is evident, and his desire to help them transform into amazing leaders drives all he does."