CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL NAMES FIRST FEMALE PRINCIPAL By Karen Billing, Courtesy of the Del Mar Times
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athedral Catholic High School has hired its first female principal in the school’s 65-year history. San Diego native Marlena Conroy will officially take over as the head of the school on July 1. Kevin Calkins, who has been principal for the last six years, will be stepping into the president’s role as Stevan Laaperi is retiring after 45 years of dedication to Catholic education. Becoming principal at Cathedral marks a return to the campus for the Encinitas resident. Conroy previously worked at Cathedral as a teacher and an administrator for 11 years. She is coming to Cathedral from the Academy of Our Lady of Peace, where she served as assistant principal and director of campus life.
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“I’m beyond excited,” Conroy said at her first day on campus on May 21. “If you could see under this mask, my smile is from ear to ear…. I can’t wait to meet the students. I come alive when I have students around me.” Conroy is also the first Cathedral principal of Latin decent—a first-generation American, her mother is Nicaraguan and her father is Canadian. She said it’s important for students to see a reflection of themselves in leadership positions, both as a Latina and a Catholic woman. In her conversations with Cathedral as she was considered for the principal position, Conroy was able to reflect on her own faith journey. As a kid, she grew up in the Catholic church and attended Catholic schools but she had a difficult
