New Principal Prepared to Help 'God's Little Ones' at St. Mark School

By Mary Frances McCarthy
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 2/20/03)

Helen Brewer, assistant principal of teaching personnel at Paul VI High School in Fairfax, will be leaving Paul VI, where she has worked for 16 years, to assume the position of founding principal at St. Mark School in Vienna when it opens this fall.

"I am really looking forward to working with God’s little ones again," Brewer said. "It is such a joyful experience. High school kids are wonderful and I love them to death, but there is definitely a difference with those sparkly eyes looking up at you."

Brewer said she is completing a circle in her education career. She spent her first six years of teaching in elementary schools. "When I was younger I thought of being a principal." Over the years, Brewer began to lose sight of this goal, until she heard about St. Mark School. "There was something about St. Mark’s," she said. "St. Mark School is going to be a little different because religious education has been strongly established and is a very fine program. We are going to be very much a part of the parish program."

St. Mark School is only one aspect of the ongoing Christian formation program at the parish.

When St. Mark School opens it will have no more than 400 students in preschool through seventh grade. If enough children register, there is the possibility of having two classes for each grade.

Brewer will not be able to hire her teachers and staff until student registration is complete and she has an idea of the number of students. Currently, the only staff member who has been hired, other than Brewer, is the secretary, Kathy Hannan.

"Once we have children and teachers, everything will fall into place. We can do without pencil sharpeners, but we can not do without teachers," Brewer said.

Volunteers have already offered to help the school, many of whom will not even have children attending the school.

Brewer feels that she should thank the people of St. Mark Pariah, especially the parents. "They are taking a walk of faith, their faith in Catholic education. I feel a real obligation and responsibility to the parents and the children."

Brewer was born in New York and spent most of her adolescence in Florida. She came to Northern Virginia 19 years ago. She attended Catholic grammar schools, and then begged her parents to let her see what public school was like when she went to high school. After two years at a public high school, she returned to the Catholic school system.

Brewer said the difference between Catholic and public schools is that even though many public schools have wonderful academic programs, Catholic schools "educate the whole child with a spiritual based value system. They can present not just ethics, but a loving God. That makes the difference, especially today."

After teaching for three years at Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Brewer came to Paul VI and taught for 12 years before taking becoming an administrator.

The experience she has gained at Paul VI will be of great use to her as a principal. She held the position of dean of students for two years, during which time she was in charge of school safety and good order at a time when the school was under construction. Her recent position, dean of faculty, has helped her become acquainted with National Catholic Education Association procedures and other administrative tasks.

The principal at Paul VI, Philip Robey, also has been able to help Brewer. He started his administrative career at an elementary school. "I cannot thank him enough. He has been so supportive and has provided valuable insight and is very generous in giving me the time I need at St. Mark."

Brewer earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary and secondary education from Immaculata University in Pa. She earned her master’s degree in religious education from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pa.

School construction is on schedule, and it should be completed by Aug. 19. The diocesan school calendar for 2003-04 has not been made, but school usually starts the Monday before Labor Day.

St. Mark School is accepting applications for enrollment in the 2003-04 school year through Feb. 21. For more information, visit the St. Mark Web site at www.stmark.org or call the parish office at 703/281-9102.

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