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Our Lady of Grace Welcomes New Principal Eric Harper
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July 28, 2021
Our Lady of Grace School Welcomes New Principal
(PENNDEL, PA) -- Our Lady of Grace (OLG) School is pleased to welcome a new principal, following the retirement of former principal, Denise Lewis. Eric Harper joins OLG as their new principal after Lewis served at OLG for the past 15 years.
Harper joins OLG after most recently teaching at St. Mary’s Mission School in Red Lake, Minnesota for the last two years. “Catholic schools challenged me academically and prepared me completely for the future. Thus, I chose to pursue a career in education out of a sense of profound gratitude. I recognized, and I am still keenly aware, that Catholic schools played a pivotal role in my development. I realized that my Catholic education was a holistic one and I became a better person because of it.”
Harper’s eight years in Catholic education began in 2013 when he was accepted into Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE), a two-year service through teaching program. From there, Harper spent six years at Memphis Catholic Middle and High school teaching religion, history, math and physical education. In addition to Harper’s classroom responsibilities, he served as department chair, an athletic director, and assistant principal in Memphis.
After Harper’s initial visit to OLG he notes it was clear that God was the animating force in the school community and is excited to use that energy and lead OLG into their second century of educating young people.
Harper looks forward to joining the OLG community, meeting the faculty, the first day of school, welcoming students back after summer, and his first mass with the school community.
“OLG has existed for 100 years because it is a school firmly laid in faith. I am hoping to evaluate myself and the school successfully in the first six months on these two criteria: are we allowing our students to encounter Christ, and are we preparing them for the world? If I can answer yes to those two questions in six months, it will be a successful start!”
About Our Lady of Grace
Founded in 1923, Our Lady of Grace is a Catholic, co-educational elementary school in Penndel, PA for children in Pre-K through eighth grades. The mission of Our Lady of Grace school is to cultivate each child’s unique God-given gifts and talents by upholding the highest academic standards while instilling in all students a spirit of devotion and service in the Catholic tradition. Our Lady of Grace provides a safe and vibrant environment where the community is family. Our Lady of Grace is a member of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and is accredited by the Middle States Association. To learn more, visit www.olgschoolpenndel.org.