President’s Pen Dr. John Barnhardt President/CEO
Dear McNamara Team & Family, This past year has been an incredible one at Bishop McNamara High School! We are fully enrolled with 872 students, an admissions rate of 75%, and a wait list of over 50 families. Successes from our 2021 graduating class included admission to top universities in our country, including New York University, Carnegie Mellon University, The University of Southern California, and Howard University. Collectively, our graduates earned more than $20M in scholarships! These results are proof that despite the prolonged impact of the pandemic, McNamara continues to offer students a world-class learning experience rooted in our Holy Cross tradition. Our student experience this year includes navigating an active construction site as the La Reine Science & Innovation Center nears 50% completion – we expect to move in this next summer. Students on campus – some of whom had never set foot on campus as a result of our year and half closure, have quickly readjusted to our favorite places: Senior Hall, the Andy Mona Student Center, and the Tyoka Jackson Field, just to name a few. If you ask a student what they like most, they will quickly remark that the ability to see their friends, in person, has made all the difference in their school day. We are grateful this year that 99% of our students are learning in person and over 90% are fully vaccinated. The incredible support we have received from our families this year has also ensured our faculty the ability to focus on teaching. This fall, we celebrated two of our faculty members as they were honored as Rookie and Veteran Teachers of the Year. These awards are presented each year by the Archdiocese of Washington Catholic Schools’ Office & the High School Principals’ Association. Congratulations to Ms. Amanda Saunders, our Director of Campus Ministry, and to Ms. Alicia Brown, our St. Joseph’s Resource Specialist. Our rigorous academic vision and subsequent experience relies tremendously on the excellence of our faculty members. As McNamara Mustangs, we are called to be disciples with hope to bring. This holiday season, please consider how you can continue supporting the students, families, and faculty of Bishop McNamara. Whether you make a $50 donation to our family support fund or commit to a $500 brick paver outside of the La Reine Science and Innovation Center, know that our future success depends entirely on your continued investment of our students TODAY! Thank you for being Bishop McNamara. The collective experiences of our students, families, and faculty weave a brilliant tapestry and I am grateful you are included in our story.
Sincerely,
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THE MUSTANG MESSENGER
Dr. John Barnhardt
Email: john.barnhardt@bmhs.org Twitter: @Barnhardt
