Mary Baier
Brother William Dygert
CLIFTON Bishop Serratelli announced this week the appointment of Mary Baier as diocesan Superintendent of Schools and Deborah Duane as Associate Superintendent of Schools. Baier has been the diocesan Deputy Superintendent of Schools since 2010 and Duane is currently the principal of St. Virgil Academy in Morris Plains.
Holy Cross Brother William Dygert, the current diocesan superintendent of schools, has announced that he will retire, effective June 15.
Bishop Serratelli said, “I am very grateful to Brother William for his service to the diocese. He came to our diocese with a record of service in different dioceses and in advancing the development of policy and governance for Catholic schools. As a member of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, he brought to us that order’s special charism and excellence to advance the ministry of Catholic schools in our nation.
“As our new Superintendent of Schools, Mary Baier knows the diocese and genuinely loves those who serve in our Catholic schools. With her strong record of accomplishment in elementary and secondary school education, she will help our schools move forward with special focus on marketing, recruitment, and continuing to maintain their essential Catholic identity.”
Brother William said, “Mary Baier is a very good choice for the position. I am sure she will provide outstanding leadership for the schools in Paterson Diocese.”
Baier’s appointment as diocesan Superintendent of Schools makes her the first woman, lay or religious, to serve in that position in the Paterson Diocese.
“I have ministered in Catholic education my entire life. I am honored to continue to do so as Superintendent in the Diocese of Paterson,” said Baier. “Ours is a ministry in which we are called, challenged, and privileged to service our Church and our schools. We are blessed to be an integral part of our students’ lives as we empower them in an education which strives to be transformational.
“Our Catholic schools will continue to be institutions vibrant in Catholic identity and centered in the person of Jesus Christ, serving the evangelizing mission of the Church,” said Baier. “They must be advocates of a Catholic world view, a religious view of life where the Good News of Jesus Christ is proclaimed so that all knowledge is illuminated by the light of faith.”
As Deputy Superintendent, Baier developed new initiatives for schools in the diocese through STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) that has led to improvement in scores in math and science in all grades. In 2014 as director of STEM, she garnered for the diocese the inaugural National Catholic Educational Association’s (NCEA) Karen M. Ristau Innovations Award.
Coordinating and in collaboration with staff, she has worked to promote professional development for school administrators, teachers and other faculty members in many areas such as standardized testing, spiritual leadership and outreach.
She came to the diocese in 2009 as principal and president of the former Paterson Catholic High School and to serve as director of Urban Schools, now known as the Academy of Passaic County. Before coming to the diocese, she has served as principal at several schools in the Archdiocese of Newark and was named the archdiocese’s Principal of the Year in 2008.
In addition to serving the diocese, Baier has led several presentations for the NCEA and recently, was a consultant for the College of St. Elizabeth, Convent Station, serving on the auditing team for the Teacher Education Program for the Council Accreditation of Educator Preparation.
Currently, Baier is also studying at Seton Hall University in the Executive Ed.D Program, Cohort XIV and is expected to complete the program next May.
“The Catholic Schools office will continue to embrace philosophies of education and practices complementary to a personalized and technological milieu of our century. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) plays a significant roll in advancing the skills our children will need for the future,” said Baier. “We want to develop in them the creativity and critical thinking necessary to advance a culture of discovery and innovation. Other programs like Blended Learning and Multiage are centered on the understanding of child development and research on how children learn, their learning rate and learning styles. Our Extended Learning Opportunity initiative (Study Island) provides remediation, review, practice and enrichment opportunities in math over the summer months that help students begin their new school year with the mastery of skills and concepts through the use of enhanced game-like lessons.
“Our goal is to make learning fun and interesting, and to instill in our children the life-long love of learning. One-third of our schools have received the nationally acclaimed Blue Ribbon School of Excellence status,” said Baier.
Duane comes to the schools office after serving as principal of St. Virgil Academy since 2010. She also served as assistant principal of St. Vincent DePaul School in Stirling from 2007 to 2010 and was a teacher there from 1997 to 2010. Recently, she also served the diocese as standardized testing coordinator.
While serving at St. Virgil’s, she was committed to continuously improving the curriculum, instruction and student achievement. Her mission there was to ensure students received an education that includes 21st century skills of critical thinking, problem solving, communications and collaboration and is aligned with common core standards. As leader of a STEM school, St. Virgil’s infused engineering throughout the disciples at all grade levels.
Brother William was appointed Superintendent on Aug. 1, 2012. While serving as Superintendent, he placed a strong emphasis on making sure diocesan schools reflected the mission of putting Jesus in the forefront of education while promoting academic excellence.
When he was appointed, he said, “Catholic schools seek to assist children and young people to grow and to develop in all aspects of their being — spiritual, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, social and emotional by information, forming and transforming children and young people in the light of faith. In short, Catholic schools’ major strength is that they are about enabling students to become whole human beings, that is to become saints, modeled after the person of Jesus.”