Search for next principal continues
The search for a new principal started shortly after former principal Madelyn Ball announced that she was leaving in Feb. 2016. The opening was listed on major association and career websites which generated applicants, but after initial screenings, the search was put on hold.
“We just weren’t getting enough candidates that I thought would be strong in the pool and so we put it on hold for awhile. We reopened it over the summer just to make it look fresher and not that this thing has been dragging out since February. We didn’t want to convey that,” President and Interim Principal Richard O’Hara said.
Applicants wishing to be principal go through a multi-stage process to allow the administration to determine if they are the right fit for the position. They first submit their resumé, which is then reviewed by O’Hara and the Board of Trustees.
“[The most important criteria] is to be a great academic leader. To be very knowledgeable in how we make this program here, and I don’t mean just the academic part, but the co-curricular as well as the curricular- all of the programs. How do we make them and keep them excellent in all respects?” O’Hara said.
According to the official job posting, the applicant should have an “excellent written and verbal communication and active listening skills. They need to be committed to the promotion of diversity and inclusion, and should be able to think strategically and implement programs effectively.”
Not only do they have to have leadership skills and be compatible with students, but in order to be considered, candidates must be a practicing Catholic. A master’s degree in either School Leadership, Education, Secondary Administration or Curriculum is required. The applicant must have a minimum of five years of teaching experience and three years of academic administration experience. If they check all the boxes, then those candidates may have a phone or in-person interview.
Currently, they are looking at four or five candidates that are beginning the phone and in-person interview process. O’Hara suspects that there will be more since school has started and many are considering leaving their current jobs after this academic year.
O’Hara hopes to have the pool of candidates narrowed down to three, four, or five semifinalists by November. In December, the finalists will be brought to campus. Then, discussions will ensue between O’Hara and the Board of Trustees in order to pick a new principal.
O’Hara hopes to finish out the year as the interim principal, with the new principal’s term beginning in the 2017-2018 academic year.
Lauren Becker is a News Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.