Former St. Rose principal takes post in South Amboy

SOUTH AMBOY — When one diocese closed a door, another opened a window.

Such was the case for Sister Marie Connolly, who is the new principal at South Amboy's Sacred Heart School, which is part of the Diocese of Metuchen. She comes from St. Joseph Elementary School, a Diocese of Trenton school in Keyport that closed in June. Her tenure had been just a year there, though Connolly comes to Sacred Heart with decades of educational experience.

"I thought I was going to retire from [St. Joseph]," Connolly said. "So I'll guess I'll retire from here," she said of Sacred Heart.

She said former interim Principal Michael Poll approached her about the position, and she then went through the application process.

Connolly's background spans the decades — and the Northeast. She has done everything from pastoral ministry work in Pennsylvania to serving as principal at St. Rose of Lima School in Freehold and St. Mary of the Lakes School in Medford. She has also worked in school administration in Massachusetts.

"I am very glad I am here," Connolly said, adding that while she only started her position at Sacred Heart School just over two weeks ago, she has been working hard to meet all of the faculty members. "I interviewed each one individually to have a sense of who they are."

She has also met some parents, and in just a few weeks she will meet Sacred Heart's 230 elementary students, who primarily come from South Amboy, Sayreville and Old Bridge. An added perk for Connolly, who lives in Manalapan, is that Sacred Heart is a shorter commute than St. Joseph in Keyport.

A Catholic school education, Connolly stressed, not only focuses on the academics, but also the faith and spirituality of its community.

"They're not separate; they're integrated," she said.

Connolly made note of a few elements that make her new school very special. The Home School Association, which is Sacred Heart's partnership between the school and parents, seems very strong and is a valuable asset to the school's success, she said. In addition, the presence of Sacred Heart Church's pastor, the Rev. Joseph Romanoski, is also important.

"Father Joseph is very committed," she said, adding that he is present every morning to greet the students as well as pray with them before class.

Although Connolly said it was too soon to start thinking about large-scale projects for the coming school year, she said that this year the school will be focusing on upgrading technology in the classrooms.

And while she was raised in Boston, Connolly is eager to further her career in South Amboy.

"I love Jersey," she said, "It's my second home." As for Sacred Heart, "It seems like a very good place to be. I'm looking forward to a good year," she added.