Holy Family Catholic Academy celebrates first Niceville Catholic Schools Week Christopher Saul January 26, 2026 9:09 am Niceville, Religion, Schools and Education About 15 boys and girls, some in blue-and-gold plaid skirts, all with school crest-emblazoned polos, gather in the back of the city council chambers. The students, all from Holy Family Catholic Academy, wait patiently for about 30 minutes as Mayor Daniel Henkel reads a proclamation recognizing Catholic Schools Week in Niceville from January 25-31. After Mayor Dan Henkel reads the proclamation, he hands the document to Holy Family Catholic Academy Principal Felisha Carnley. Carnley wasn’t expecting the job last spring when a group of Catholic families decided to leverage the school choice scholarship funds available and open a school at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church. She started on the curriculum committee as a parent volunteer with years of teaching experience. As the curriculum developed, the search for a school leader began. She served to find that person. As other options did not work out, someone suggested she should do it. She took the mantle of leadership and says it’s blessed her life. Holy Family Catholic Academy students pose with Niceville Mayor Dan Henkel after the city council passed a proclamation recognizing the city’s first-ever Catholic Schools Week Niceville’s Felisha Carnley serves as the principal of Holy Family Catholic Academy. The school serves students K-3 on the campus of Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church. Carnley says the school aims to expand to pre-k through eighth grade. “I...
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