Mary Donohue, Principal

Thank you for inviting me to be a part of the Parish Meeting this evening. For those of you whom I have not yet met, I am Mary Donohue and this is my second year as principal of Saint Patrick’s School. I, myself, am a product of 13 years of Catholic education and I am a firm believer in its value. It is a privilege to now be in a role where I am able to supervise both the instruction and spiritual development of the students in my care.

This past summer, many significant capital improvements took place throughout the school. We had air conditioning installed in the main building, a dedicated science lab was established in the middle school and all four buildings now work off a completely wireless network. We replaced all of the computers in our tech lab and we acquired more ipad's and laptops to support instructional practices. As a finishing touch, the school was painted in proud St. Pat’s colors and we branded the school with our logos in both the main building and the middle school. Now, when visitors enter, there is no mistaking that you have entered Saint Patrick School.

The faculty and I take great pride in the work we do each day. Preparing students for the 21st century is a daunting task. We are constantly reminded that we are preparing students for jobs that at this exact moment do not even exist. In addition to rigorous academic standards, which are a hallmark of Catholic schools, we are proud to incorporate STEM education in our teaching practices. STEM is a blend of science, technology, engineering, and math. Students work with these core areas to investigate problems that occur in the real world. These types of investigations challenge students to collaborate, cooperate, think critically and think creatively. As students in the digital age have easy access to knowledge, it is using these skills that allow them to apply knowledge to solve problems. Our students have continued success when they leave Saint Patrick’s School. It is a comment we hear repeatedly and validates the job we do.

While we all place a heavy emphasis on our academic achievements, the best testament of our work is the development of the whole child. In a faith-based community, that is small and personal and rooted in Catholic values, we know the work we do each day is significant. We work diligently to meet the needs of our students so they can grow intellectually, emotionally, socially and in their relationship with God.

Still being relatively new to Saint Pat’s, my favorite days continue to be our school liturgies. Worshipping together as a school family is a vivid reminder of why Saint Patrick School is such a special place and one that I am very pleased to be a part of.