LYNN — As Grace Cotter Regan prepares for her next chapter, the St. Mary’s community members are grateful for her time spent as their head of school in Lynn.
Regan announced she accepted a position as president of Boston College High School this week, a position she was chosen for out of more than 400 candidates.
“She will be missed, but the great thing about her work is that she has left us and provided us with a foundation, which we will continue to build on,” said William Mosakowski, chairman of the board of trustees for the school. “Whether you’re a head of school or a CEO, that’s probably the greatest compliment that one could receive.”
Mosakowski said the reasons BC High were interested in Regan are clear. She sets herself apart with the rest, because she doesn’t stop at supporting programs. She’s physically present at the majority of them.
“She has been to drama club presentations, games and meets for every one of the 21 sports programs we have, she has been to all of the different academic awards and competitions that the school has,” said Mosakowski.
Regan has been with St. Mary’s since 2012, succeeding Dr. Raymond A. Bastarache, who was the first head of school. During her five years in the role, Regan said her accomplishments include academic enhancements and strategic planning and campaigning.
She implemented Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programming, a robotics team, a 10-year accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and the collection of nearly $15 million for a new STEM building and increased scholarships.
On short notice, Regan made sure the St. Mary’s robotics team had the funding it needed to compete at levels it hadn’t originally anticipated reaching, and traveled to attend the competition and watch first hand.
“In the five years that she’s been involved in our community, she has not only attended school events but she has hosted women’s evenings in the North Shore,” said Mosakowski. “She is actively engaged in economic development discussions in the city and she has established relationships with many of the government officials and state leaders on behalf of St. Mary’s. She has been remarkable. The alumni community is large and very active in the school. There are thousands of them and somehow or another, she knows all of them.”
Regan said her confidence in the school’s leadership, faculty, and staff helped her make the difficult decision to pursue a new opportunity at BC High. She will remain with the school until January, and assist in the search for the best possible person to fill her empty seat. The goal is to bring in new leadership in fall of 2018.
“I am leaving the great work we have achieved together in the hope that the team and the next leader take the school to the next level,” said Regan. “St. Mary’s is a unique school. We are a community who live out mission through our pillars of success: Catholic, excellence, integrity, and respect. Our students are set up to succeed by finding their authentic selves. They can be themselves at school. We honor their gifts and they are all on a level playing field.
“I have learned so much from my experience,” said Regan. “I think I have a lot to offer from my St. Mary’s experience with our academic growth. I actually hope to think about some collaborative programming with BC High and St. Mary’s.”
“BC High is a larger community, but it faces the same challenges as St. Mary’s and other Catholic schools — Enrollment, affordability, resource development. I am excited to work with the Jesuits.”
