New President Appointed for Paramus Catholic High School The leadership of Paramus Catholic High School will change hands July 1with the appointment of James P. Vail as the school's President. Vail, who succeeds Sister Maureen Sullivan, S.C., has been Principal of Aquinas High School, LaCrosse, Wisconsin for seven years and Coordinator of Development for Greater LaCrosse Area Catholic Schools. Originally from Connecticut, Vail, 42, earned a B.A. in history and an M.A. in Education from Fairfield University, CT. From Boston College, he was certified in the Catholic School Leadership Program. The newly-appointed President views his position as a "homecoming." His father, Dr. James Vail, is a native of Jersey City, a graduate of St. Michael's High School there, and a graduate of Seton Hall University. As principal of the Wisconsin Catholic high school, Vail supervised a professional staff of thirty-five and operated an annual financial budget of two million dollars. He is credited with designing and implementing 20 new courses, redesigning the academic schedule for a 62% increase in instructional time, and effecting a total four year budget decrease of $110 in actual cost per pupil. Mr. Vail was certified in the Catholic School Management Program in Development and applied this knowledge to the formation of a comprehensive marketing, public relations, and media relations program at Aquinas High School. His efforts resulted in a six year enrollment increase of over thirty percent. Mr. Vail oversaw a development program that raised over $7 million for building expansion and improvements, plus an additional $6 million in investments for endowment growth and technology advancements. The new President of Paramus Catholic High School has broad cultural and pastoral experiences. In his post graduate years Vail served in a variety of church ministries in domestic and foreign missions associated with the Glenmary Home Missioners in Alabama and Georgia; the Jesuits and the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India. He was at one time a chaplain assistant in Massachusetts General Hospital and a counselor for Covenant House, New York City. For nine years he was an instructor of Theology and Global Studies at St. Paul Catholic High School, Bristol, CT. Vail has been a winning soccer and tennis coach. He was named Outstanding Soccer Coach of the Year, two years, by Connecticut High School Coaches Associations. The school leader says that he is "committed to Catholic education." As a testimony to this commitment, he and Colette, his wife of six years, at their wedding took a third vow to support Catholic education. Colette, currently principal of a Catholic elementary school in Tomah, WI, will also seek an educational leadership position in the Archdiocese of Newark. The Archdiocesan Schools Office has clarified the leadership roles in Paramus Catholic High School. The role of the Principal is to administer the school on a day-to-day basis. The role of a President is to see that the school operates within its mission as an Archdiocesan Regional High School and to generate and sustain the means that will enable it to do so. For further information on the appointment, call John O'Neil, Deputy Superintendent of Secondary Schools, (201) 497-4269.
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