Bishop Koenig has appointed Kelly Lanza as the next principal of Christ the Teacher Catholic School in Newark effective July 1.
Lanza was selected for the job from a pool of 10 applicants and the members of the search committee, Diocese of Wilmington superintendent of schools Lou De Angelo, and pastors of the supporting parishes expressed great confidence in her leadership skills and experience in recommending her to Bishop Koenig.
Lanza was most recently principal of Sacred Heart Academy High School in Louisville, Ky. Her 24-year career has been almost entirely in Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia where she served as principal of St. Martin de Porres School and before that at West Catholic Preparatory High School. She was also at Cardinal O’Hara High School in Delaware County as assistant principal for student affairs, assistant principal for academic affairs and interim principal. She began her teaching career as an English language arts teacher in Catholic elementary and high schools.
She holds a bachelor of science degree in English and education from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Cabrini University in Radnor, Pa. She is an accomplished musician and has performed throughout the Philadelphia region as a singer and pianist. Lanza and her husband, Lou, a jazz vocalist, have two children.
Lanza acknowledged “the need for our Catholic schools to provide the highest quality education possible and infuse our Catholic identity in every part of the work we do with young people.”
Christ the Teacher Catholic School currently educates 594 students in Pre-K3 through Grade 8.
