New Leadership Announced For LG’s Sacred Heart School

Sacred Heart Catholic School in La Grange will open its doors for their 95th school year under new leadership, but familiar faces. This summer, Karissa Kleiber was named Principal and Katie Janda was named Director of Admissions and Development. Both Ms. Kleiber and Ms. Janda are Fayette County natives who have a passion for Catholic education and a love for the school that they consider a gem in the Fayette County community. Additionally, both ladies are parishioners at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and hope to be a strong bridge between the parish and school communities.

Ms. Kleiber is a 2000 graduate of Schulenburg High School and a 2004 graduate of Sam Houston State University with a bachelor’s degree in Academic Studies and a minor in Early Childhood Education. In 2020, she obtained a graduate degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on Literacy Studies from the University of Texas at Arlington. Her teaching career spans 21 years – all spent at La Grange ISD where she served as both a reading teacher and later as an instructional specialist. She brings with her a great desire to not only provide the best educational experience to the students of Sacred Heart, but to also expound upon the strong faith-based foundation within the school. In recognizing her calling to this vocation, Ms. Kleiber stated, “I’m excited to lead the staff and students at Sacred Heart School and I would like to see them continue to grow as Disciples of Jesus Christ. I look forward to meeting the needs of our students and families.” She and her husband Ryan have four children, three of whom are alumni of Sacred Heart and one who is currently attending the school.

Ms. Janda is a 2007 graduate of La Grange High School and a 2011 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in History. She spent the next 14 years in county government at the Fayette County District Clerk’s Office and is now filling a newly-created administrative role which will assist incoming and current families to have the best possible experience at Sacred Heart School. Other duties include grant writing, marketing, fundraising, growing alumni relations, and providing general support to Ms. Kleiber and the staff at Sacred Heart. In describing her decision to join the school, Ms. Janda states, “Through prayer, it became clear that God was calling me to come to Sacred Heart. I’m very thankful for the opportunity to work with and for our amazing staff and help our beautiful school to flourish.” She and her husband Kyle (who serves as a newly-ordained deacon at Sacred Heart) also have four children, three of whom are currently attending Sacred Heart and one who will be attending in the future.

Sacred Heart Catholic School is a PreK-3 through 6th grade primary education school that operates through the Diocese of Austin. Established in 1930, the school offers a strong academic environment, coupled with an authentically Catholic identity. Parents and children often feel an intimate, family-like environment where students have many opportunities to expand their minds, form lasting friendships, and most importantly, experience encounters with Christ in the classroom and through weekly Mass, Adoration, and the strengthening of their prayer life on a daily basis. Sacred Heart welcomes students of all faiths and incorporates formation of the whole child by growing in traditional virtues that affect and shape all areas of life. Ms. Kleiber and Ms. Janda invite any interested families to give the school a call and schedule a tour to see if God might be calling you to become part of the Sacred Heart family.