New Leaders at Four High Schools

Posted

Four Catholic high schools in the archdiocese have recently announced leadership changes.

The schools are St. Barnabas High School in the Bronx, where Theresa Napoli has been named principal, effective July 1; Aquinas High School in the Bronx, where Anna E. Parra has been appointed president, effective July 3, succeeding Sister Margaret Ryan, O.P., who is retiring after a 50-year tenure as president, principal and teacher at the school; Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle, where Kieran Daly, who had served as dean of students, has been appointed principal of the Upper School, effective July 1, succeeding Edward O’Neill, who is retiring; and Maria Regina High School in Hartsdale, where Valerie Reidy, the current principal, has been appointed to the newly created position of president, and Rosemarie Decker, the current assistant principal, has been named principal, both effective in September.

Ms. Napoli, the new principal at St. Barnabas, is a lifelong Catholic school educator. For the past 12 years, she has served as assistant principal for academics and student life at Fordham Preparatory School in the Bronx, where she has helped to strengthen curriculum programs and develop a senior internship program for college courses with Fordham University. She is the first woman to hold an academic administrative position in Fordham Prep’s 175-year history.

She holds a master’s degree in administration and supervision from Fordham University.

Ms. Parra, the new president at Aquinas, which is sponsored by the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill, will be responsible for the school’s overall operation, with primary responsibility for institutional advancement, finances and strategic planning. She formerly served as executive director of development at the Academy of Mount St. Ursula in the Bronx. Earlier, she was acting and assistant director of the archdiocese’s annual Cardinal’s Appeal campaign.

She holds a master’s degree in communications studies from the College of New Rochelle.

Daly, the new president at Iona Prep, has served there for more than 30 years. He has been director of facilities, assistant dean of discipline, science chairman, dean of freshmen and teacher.

Daly holds a master’s degree in educational psychology from Fordham University and is pursuing a master’s in educational leadership from the University of Dayton in Ohio.

O’Neill has served as a Catholic school educator for 45 years, the majority at Iona Prep, where he has been Upper School principal since 2014. He was honored with the Francis Cardinal Spellman Award by his alma mater, Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, March 18

The promotions of Mrs. Reidy and Mrs. Decker as president and principal of Maria Regina, respectively, were announced by the school’s board of trustees.

Mrs. Reidy served as principal of the Bronx High School of Science before coming to Maria Regina three years ago. She holds a master’s degree in biology from Fordham University.

Mrs. Decker has served as assistant principal of academics and admission and as a guidance counselor during her 15 years at Maria Regina. She holds a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from the College of New Rochelle.