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new elementary principals talk about their schools

Story and photos by LIZ QUIRIN
Messenger editor

As students and teachers see their vacation slipping away and the first day of school looming on the horizon, some parish elementary schools are welcoming new principals to lead them this year.

The four principals who will be featured here — Sandy Baechle at St. Mary-St. Augustine in Belleville, Claire McKay at St. John the Baptist in Smithton, Mary Neville, interim principal at St. Clare in O’Fallon and Keith Senior at St. Michael’s in Radom — already have ties to the schools they will lead.

St. Joseph School in Freeburg did not have a new principal in place at the time this story was written.
At St. Mary-St. Augustine School in Belleville, students will easily recognize their new principal.

Sandy Baechle, who has taught at the school for more than 30 years, is taking over as principal while continuing to teach morning classes.

Baechle began her teaching career at the school, which was also her parish at the time, with middle school students, and then moved to eighth-grade language arts and social studies.

She said she is happy to continue teaching those subjects in the morning and remembers that principals were also teachers in earlier years.

With a good number of years of teaching experience, Baechle said she is excited about the coming year.
“I love these kids,” she said, noting some of her present students are “second generation” since she also taught their parents.

Baechle said her confidence in the coming year also stems from the “veteran faculty” at the school, a faculty “that really cares about the school. We all work together.”

And, she said, she will take “each day as it comes,” looking forward to the challenge of her new duties while maintaining contact with the students she loves.

While some schools have combined their classes, St. Mary-St. Augustine has decided to keep each class separate.
Her passion: “making sure Catholic education survives” and thrives.

At St. John the Baptist School in Smithton, Claire McKay takes over as principal.
McKay has been a teacher at St. John’s for seven years, teaching technology courses to all levels and science to the upper grades.
Classes at St. John’s have been combined, but also compartmentalized to some extent so that students receive more individualized instruction.

As with Baechle, McKay is a graduate of the school where she now becomes principal. While she said St. John’s has changed since she was a student there, the changes have been good.

“Now there is a lot more hands on classroom experience, and a lot more technology” in the classrooms, she said.
Sports programs have also been added since she graduated.

McKay said she feels like she’s “coming home. This is my parish. I know the families and the history of the parish and community.”

This year, as McKay welcomes students on the first day of school, she will also be welcoming one of her own children to the first grade.

“I want to make people feel welcome and belong to this Catholic tradition,” she said. Her passion: “Teaching is a huge part of my life — teaching about faith, teaching science and teaching my own children.”

At St. Clare in O’Fallon, assistant principal, Mary Neville will move into the principal’s position as an acting principal in the coming school year as the school begins a search for a permanent principal. Ken Pajares, former principal at the school, becomes the business manager.
Neville will begin her 15th year at St. Clare in the fall. She will continue to meet with children, parents and teachers in the coming year.

Neville has a background in special education, working with students in all grades with special needs.
She took on the role as interim principal, she said, “because I wanted to help. I hope to keep the morale at the school at a positive level.”

Neville works with students and teachers to make sure students with special needs can take full advantage of the education being offered at St. Clare.

As a teacher, Neville said she went about “caring and paying attention to the child (with special needs), caring enough to work with the child until we find what works best” for him or her.

While the school solution may not fix whatever their need is, the school “will accommodate the child’s needs.”
Over her years at St. Clare, she has seen “children grow tremendously in their faith and their care of one another.
“Our children are amazing, talented and caring young people,” she said.

Her passion: “I love reading and enjoy special education students and reading about new techniques and ideas.”
In Radom, a graduate of St. Michael’s returns to the top spot this year.

Keith Senior is already meeting with teachers and renewing his acquaintance with his elementary school.
While Senior has lived out of the area for a number of years, teaching at Teutopolis High School in Teutopolis, Ill., and South Central High School in Farina, Ill., he has “many relatives” at St. Michael’s, including his grandmother, Ann Szopiniski, whom he describes as “a big part of the parish.”

His relatives told him about the principal opening at the school, and he saw this as a chance to come home.
In addition, he said he has always wanted to be an administrator.

With his history at St. Michael’s and his family, Senior said, “I have a vested interest inSt. Michael’s. I know the community; I know the people.”

Energetic, he said it “made my day to think about goals for the school.” His number one goal is growth of the student body.

His passion: “Inspiring young people. Coming from a small area, the students need to be inspired to go out” to find their place in the community and the world. “You never know where God will bring you.”