Schools

Ginny Colwell retires after 29 years

Natalie Askin | Student Correspondent

Ginny Colwell, head of school at St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, is retiring after 29 years. Eileen Curren | COURTESY

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Head of School Ginny Colwell is retiring after 29 years at St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, including 16 years in leadership. 

Paul VI students know Colwell as the administrator who sits in during classes, the kind face in the hall or merely someone in charge, but Colwell is so much more than that. As head of school, Colwell acts as a CEO, managing finances, budgets, strategic planning, athletics and much more. Whatever role she takes on, she is loved and respected by teachers, students, staff and parents. She is often described as a kind soul, and someone who speaks eloquently and beautifully. She is also a mother to the PVI family. “PVI is both business and family combined,” Colwell said.

Colwell was born and grew up in Bellefonte, Pa. Her father worked close by, a member of the U.S. Air Force ROTC at Penn State University. She later moved to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, which was her mother’s hometown. “I have always considered Louisiana my home,” Colwell said. For the past 29 years, Paul VI has been her home as well. 

According to Colwell, she was not the most scholarly, well-behaved student growing up. “I did not take education seriously and did not, in the words of St. Francis de Sales, ‘bloom where I was planted,’ until I was in college,” she said. She went to Catholic high school and attended Loretto Heights College in Denver, where she majored in secondary education with a minor in English. She then attended two more Catholic schools: Trinity University in San Antonio for a master of arts in English and Marymount University in Arlington for a master’s in education. 

After college, Colwell used her schooling to become a teacher, inspired by one of her own teachers.

“I had a wonderful English teacher my senior year in high school, Donald Horton, and he inspired me with his knowledge, compassion, and how he made learning meaningful and fun,” she said.

Because her husband, Bill, was in the military, Colwell moved to a lot of different places before settling in Virginia. She lived in Germany; Sacramento, Calif.; England; Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Northern Virginia. “I loved everywhere we lived … it wasn’t just the place, it was where we were gathered as a family,” she said.

In 1989, Bill was transferred to Northern Virginia, and Colwell had a few long-term substitute teaching jobs in Fairfax County. In 1993, she applied to Paul VI as an English teacher and was hired by Oblate Father Robert Mulligan, the principal at the time. 

“I’ve always had the family feel about this place since the first day I walked in,” said Colwell. “When I was teaching, I had a great support staff with my department chair.”

Not only did her teaching experiences help her become the head of school and understand Paul VI, but also it helped her have great relationships with the teachers. “I think my relationships with teachers are good because I was one of them,” she said. “When I went into administration, I knew what was being asked of everyone.”

As an English teacher, her favorite piece of literature to read and teach was “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, a story about a town having witch trials that test the strength of one’s morals. Colwell compares this theme to strength in the Catholic faith, asking, “Is it okay to say you don’t believe in God in order to live? How much are you willing to pay for your beliefs? That’s what I’ve always liked about ‘The Crucible,’ because what are you going to pay to do the right thing?” She has implemented this teaching herself by holding a strong Catholic faith and proudly doing the right thing at all costs.

Colwell has worked hard for the Paul VI community, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, she even helped the school move from the Fairfax campus to the new Chantilly campus in the middle of the  pandemic. “I couldn’t have done it without the teachers; they really stepped up,” she said.

The love that Colwell holds for the school community is remarkable. Whether staying to watch athletic events, taking time to talk to students, or going the extra mile to make the school the best it can be, her love and dedication has driven the school to succeed as “both a business and a family.” 

With all the time, love and success she has brought to the PVI family, she now can spend time with her family.

“It’s just my time now; I just want to be a Nana,” Colwell said with a smile. She speaks very fondly of her “grandloves,” as she calls them. “Jane, Rose and Beau live in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Ben lives in Los Angeles. They are my hearts,” she said.

Colwell has been the heart of Paul VI for a long time. She has placed in the school’s hands a strong legacy, a model of great faith and a lasting impact. The community will forever honor her and be grateful for all she has done, as well as always continue to “Grow in Grace and Wisdom.”

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