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St. Raymond School’s principal, Sister Ann Bernard, will be leaving after 16 years in the position, the Menlo Park Catholic school announced today (Jan. 25).
“These 16 years have been fulfilling in a very meaningful way for me,” Sister Bernard said in a statement. “My years in Catholic education have contributed to my own faith life and community experience and for this I am most grateful.”
Sister Bernard, who will be leaving the private K-8 school at the end of the academic year, was the assistant superintendent at the dioceses of San Jose before she became St. Raymond’s principal.
Father William Myers, pastor of St. Raymond Catholic Church, is leading the search, interview and selection process for a new principal. He said he will name a new principal later this spring.
Sr. Ann will be sorely missed. She has been an inspiration to the children, faculty and parents of the St. Raymond community for many years. These are big shoes to fill – best wishes to Sister Ann – our thoughts and prayers are with you.
This is really sad news for the school. She has been a strong leader and very highly respected throughout all of the Catholic Schools in Northern California. A big loss for the school.
My classmates and I who graduated from St. Raymond School a few years ago are really sorry to hear that Sister Ann Bernard is leaving, under her direction I received a top notch education. She will be hard to replace.
God Bless you Sister Ann, I am sure you will be missed by everyone in the Catholic Community. Thank you for all of your years of service. The school will not be the same without you.
We are sorry to see Sr Ann leave St Raymond. I chose that school for my children because of her strong leadership and unwavering vision of high expectation for our children.
I’m sorry to hear that Sr. Ann Bernard will be leaving. St. Raymonds will not be the same without such a great leader as principal.
I have been a part of this parish for many years. Sadly, St. Raymond’s seems to be deteriorating and now that Sr. is leaving, the whole school will fall apart and will never reach the excellence it once thrived in. The community is not the same as it once was; new teachers, new parents, new students who do not have the same appreciation for a sense of community and Catholic values that used to be so treasured by the cohesive members of the old St. Raymond’s community. May God look after Sr. after she leaves. I will never forget such a strong, kind, good-hearted woman. There will never be one like Sr. Ann Bernard.
Heartbroken to hear about Sister Ann’s departure from the school. My grandchildren received an excellent education at the school many years ago and we have found memories of the St. Raymond Community. It was a wonderful environment and parish when Father Pat and Father Ed were the parish priests. Sister Ann is a strong leader and I agree with the last comment posted. “There will never be one like Sr. Ann O’Shea Bernard.
Could not agree more with all of the comments posted thus far.
As much as Sr. Ann will be missed by our family, I feel St. Raymond School has done an excellent job recently in educating my children. The school curriculum is extremely challenging, allowing the graduates to compete with the other students in high school in the highly competitive environment of Silicon Valley. All my children will be very well prepared academically, with the added benefit of receiving Catholic guidance throughout their elementary school years. The school has upgraded all aspects of its infrastructure, with computer systems, air conditioning, new lawn, smart boards in the classrooms, the list goes on. I truly feel it is the best bang for your buck in Catholic education on the Peninsula. There may be new teachers and new parents, but times change and St. Raymond has done an excellent job upgrading its education while retaining the Catholic value!! I’m sure Sr. Ann’s replacement will do an excellent job continuing the stellar tradition of a St. Raymond education.
When my children attended St. Raymond it was a wonderful school. Most of the parents attended the school because of Sister Ann’s leadership, it was also nice to have a nun as our principal. God Bless and thank you Sister for all of your years of service.
I am very sad to hear this awful news. Both my children attended St. Raymond and received excellent educations which allowed them to attend top high schools and colleges. It won’t be the same without Sr. Ann Bernard at the helm. Not only will I miss her as the head of St. Raymond, but I will miss her on a personal level. She was always very kind, fair and truly committed. I hope whoever they find next can fill this huge gap that will be left by her, but I’m not so sure.
Why is she leaving? This is so abrupt and shocking to me and my family. All of my children have graduated from there and they loved Sister Ann Bernard. I do not even recognize any of the new names at St. Raymond’s. It is a completely different school that I quite frankly do not respect as much as I used to. We love you Sister!
St. Raymond’s is going to crumble without Sister Ann. My son graduated from there and we have visited frequently and it is definitely not the same Catholic community I once knew with all these new parents who are not welcomming or kind-hearted.
We will miss sister, and it is so wrong that she is leaving.
Who would post an article like this before open house? Everyone commenting is going to scare away new parents. The school seems like it has such a hostile environment now.
Here is an updated story:
St. Raymond principal to leave, but not without suggestions: http://www.almanacnews.com/news/show_story.php?id=8207
The new Mother’s Club President for the next academic year is a lovely person; she will set a positive tone for the year. I keep in touch with many of the parents at the school and I know a lot of moms are looking forward to working with her.
I think the person who posted this article before Open House should step down and apologize to the school for causing so much damage. This school has always had a excellent reputation that has now been put in question by this posting.
Please prospective parents do not let this sway you away from this school.
i am shocked and disgusted by the former parents comments to this article. i am a new parent (1st & K this year) and take offense to the comment that the new parents are “not welcoming and kind-hearted”?? i think this is one of the warmest communities i’ve ever been a part of and our experience at st raymond has been nothing short of wonderful! i am a catholic woman and THRILLED that a school right in my backyard holds the same kind of values that i was raised with and that my husband and i are raising our three kids with. i truly feel st raymond reinforces those values we set at home – starting with sister ann, the amazing teachers and all the fabulous parents i have come to know the past year & a half.
yesterday’s open house showcased just how welcoming our school community is…early feedback from prospective parents/families were that they were impressed with the caliber of our school and the students they met. there was an infectious buzz & energy on campus yesterday that made me proud to be a part of this community.
sister ann was a BIG reason for us coming to st raymond…i agree with the comments that those are big shoes to fill. in fact, st raymond won’t be the same with out her and we’ll have to navigate through the change. but she has laid the infrastructure for us to succeed without her and the leadership team in place this year is top notch! the current mother’s club president is so dedicated to this school and she & her team have worked tirelessly to promote the MANY achievements of the school and our students. i personally think st raymond is currently in one of the best positions it’s been in lately…us NEW parents are learning from some of the more experienced parents above us and also bringing in some new ideas to make the school even more competitive (ie., jr kindergarten starting in the fall).
i look forward to the many years i will be at st raymond school with my three children and feel blessed everyday that we are here! i’ve included my name on this post b/c i bet if you ask anyone who knows me (or any of the “new parents” for that matter), i’d be shocked if someone described me as unwelcoming of not kind hearted. two qualities i hold very high in myself.
The news of Sister Ann leaving St. Raymond’s is, indeed, sad. She has been a wonderful, caring, and inclusive principal. Her contribution to the school has been noticed and appreciated. We wish her well. Her shoes will be hard to fill.
However, being a member of the school community for almost 40 years as a parent and a grandparent, I know that the transition will occur seamlessly and that a very capable replacement will be found. The St. Raymond School will continue to be known in the community for the academic excellence it offers, its involved and caring student body, and its supportive parents. One has only to look at the SR graduates to see what a special school St. Raymond’s is and will continue to be.
Anyone who does not find the SR community to be welcoming is not doing their part to participate themselves. They needn’t wait to be asked. Perhaps they should extend themselves more. They will be embraced by the community if they do.
Best thing is for all comments to stop. Every comment good or bad only brings more negative attention to the school.
The grandparent who wrote a comment does not sound very welcoming herself…she sounds like an angry person and the parent who claims to be so nice sounds really comes across like she is “yelling” and confrontational. I will pray that God brings the two of you peace.
The damage control comments are more of a turn-off than the people who were voicing their loyalty to this principal.