A Letter From Mrs. Venable

Dear Families,

Nine years ago I accepted the position as principal of Holy Rosary School.  I was honored to have been selected from the pool of candidates.  From that moment on I have dedicated myself, with the Lord’s love and guidance, to providing the necessary leadership for academic and spiritual growth at Holy Rosary.

It is with a heavy, yet thankful, heart that I announce my retirement at the end of this school year from Holy Rosary School.  These past nine years were filled with challenging and exciting times for me, both within the school community and my own personal life.  Holy Rosary and I could not have thrived without your continued support and generosity.

When I retired from the Edmonds School District as Assistant Superintendent eleven years ago and later accepted my current position, I envisioned being here for 5-6 years.  Those years stretched to nine because I have loved being principal here.  Throughout these nine years our precious Holy Rosary students have been at the forefront of my daily activities.  I love coming to school, seeing our students’ smiles and expressions of joy while learning in the classrooms.

Being a part of the Holy Rosary School Community is very special.  We are known as a very loving, welcoming and caring community that steps up to support others in times of need. Each of you, staff, students and parents, keeps our Christ-centered school community brimming with faith and the spirit of love.

My fond memories include the establishment of the Olympic-themed Opening and Closing ceremonies of the school year on the church lawn and the “Caught Being Kind” program with its reward of Dick’s lunch.  We expanded our Pre-K program and introduced Jump Start to prepare our youngest students for the upcoming school year.  There are so many great programs we’ve implemented during my time such as STEM and LEGO/Robotics that have benefitted our students’ learning. I will never forget the excitement and anticipation of the school auctions. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be our biggest challenge during my tenure at Holy Rosary School.  With the unifying help of parents, teachers, parishioners, staff and students we have shown great resilience in dealing with the effects imposed by COVID. I am very proud of our work to keep students engaged and learning both “in-person” and “remotely.”

During these nine years I have experienced the joy and love of leading this amazing school:  watching our students grow and graduate and mentoring our teachers and staff. I am proud of our accomplishments and the high standards we have set at Holy Rosary.  Our school is readied for continued success, led by all of our amazing teachers.

Holy Rosary teachers are the backbone of our school community.  The amount of time and effort that they put into educating our students is incredible, especially during the past 12 months.  Their guidance helps the children grow spiritually, academically and emotionally, producing well-rounded students ready to tackle the challenges of high school and beyond.  I am so thankful to have had such a caring and loving group with which to work. 

I must also acknowledge my wonderful office staff that has helped me with the everyday workings of the school.  Their assistance has been exceptional, and I know that without their expertise I would have not been able to navigate through our school issues, especially the COVID pandemic.

This announcement is extremely difficult for me, and after 48 years in education, it’s hard to imagine doing anything else.  However, the school is in a good place, and I know that my successor will continue to lead Holy Rosary School in maintaining its high level of academics and Catholic faith-formation. 

My sincerest thanks and gratitude to Father Vincent and Holy Rosary Parish for their support over the years.  To each and every one of you reading this, thank you for enriching my life during these last nine years. I am forever grateful.

With love and blessings,