Visionary Leadership: Jen Long and Danielle Goertemoeller Bring Inclusive Education to Life at St. Lawrence School

St. Lawrence School in Cincinnati has long committed to inclusive education rooted in faith. Now, with the launch of the St. John Bosco Initiative, the school takes a significant leap forward. This new program, set to begin in the 2026 -2027 school year, creates a dedicated classroom for students with higher learning needs. 

Principal Jen Long and Assistant Principal Danielle Goertemoeller shared their vision in recent interviews, highlighting how OptimALL's partnership drives this transformative effort.

Building on a Strong Foundation

St. Lawrence first partnered with OptimALL in 2022 to enhance support for students with special learning needs. Jen Long recalls the shift vividly. 

"Prior to St Lawrence working with Optimall in 2022, we really felt like the program that we were running wasn't being run well," she said. “We were meeting legal requirements but we weren’t engaging our students in best practice.” 

The change brought direct services, intervention specialists, and classroom support, expanding from two specialists to seven, including aides.

This evolution opened eyes across the school. Teachers gained tools to plan for diverse learners, from high achievers to those facing challenges. "

Our whole staff started realizing like, wow, this is what intervention is supposed to look like. We didn't know it was supposed to look like this," Long said. 

OptimALL introduced best practices, including push-in support and tailored IEP work, which elevated the entire educational experience.

Danielle Goertemoeller echoes this impact.

 "They are experts in the field and we trust them implicitly,” she said. 

 Under OptimALL’s guidance, St. Lawrence moved from basic pull-out sessions to comprehensive, tiered instruction that serves all students effectively.

The St. John Bosco Initiative: A Bold New Chapter

Success with OptimALL sparked conversations about doing more. St. Lawrence serves many English language learners and families with multiple children, but some siblings couldn't attend due to unmet needs.

 "In talking with one of our older students, she was telling me, ‘I have a brother who can't come to this school because his learning needs are great and I would love for him to be here with me’,” said Long. 

She says it became apparent to her that the school could do more to provide quality Catholic education to all types of learners. The St. John Bosco initiative addresses this gap with a Christ-centered classroom for up to six students initially. These students will integrate into the school community for lunch, recess, specials like science, and religion classes. 

"I think this classroom is going to be a Christ-centered space starting with six students," Long said. "They are going to be well loved, and their needs are going to be met first and foremost."

Goertemoeller, who met Long while working in public education at Northwest Local Schools, sees this as a natural extension. 

"We served an underserved population then," she said. "I feel like just us coming back together and being able to serve the underserved again is a wonderful gift." 

Over a period of months, the duo brainstormed extensively, hashing out details from scheduling to resources, ensuring a seamless rollout. Then, they worked with their parish leadership, and OptimALL administrators to create a program that will fit in at St. Lawrence. 

Faith, Community, and Lasting Benefits

At its core, the initiative opens Catholic education to families who felt excluded. Long emphasized the broader implications of this effort. 

"Catholic schools are wonderful across the board, all over the city. We do a great job of educating students in the faith, but we're not educating students that are of the highest need,” she said. 

 She added that sacraments, religion classes, and daily encounters with faith are now accessible, potentially strengthening family ties to the Church. And, she believes diversity enriches everyone, fostering empathy among peers. 

"Children that experience other children that have severe needs, they almost become kinder because of it," Long said. "They become more welcoming. They don't look at others as having a problem."

The community response has been enthusiastic. Teachers, who "love every child," welcomed the news with excitement, and said it created new, hopeful energy at the school. 

Support That Makes It Possible

None of this would happen without generous backing, particularly from the Rielly family. Their substantial donation alleviated financial concerns, allowing focus on program quality. 

"Having Beth and Phil Rielly make a donation like they did for OptimALL, really kind of takes that worry away," Long said. "Everything has fallen into place seamlessly, which kind of tells me that God's up there saying, you're on the right track and you're doing my work."

 Goertemoeller agreed.

"They just kind of implicitly trusted that OptimALL was gonna lead us in the right direction and that we were the team to get it done,” she said. 

Looking Ahead

The St. John Bosco Initiative at St. Lawrence embodies OptimALL's mission to make inclusive, faith-based education a reality for all. As the 2026- 2027 school year approaches, this program promises to unite families, build compassionate communities, and nurture every child's potential. 

Families interested in learning more can contact St. Lawrence School to explore enrollment opportunities.