Articles

Dear St. Dominic School Community,
I am filled with joy and anticipation at the opportunity to join the St. Dominic community as your next school principal. Embracing the values of the Catholic faith and academic excellence, I am excited to embark on this journey alongside our teachers, students, families, and parish community. A top priority of mine will be collaborating with you to continue the tradition of providing a nurturing and enriching educational experience rooted in Catholic teaching. Together, I am confident that we will inspire minds, develop character, and seek Christ, fostering a community where each individual can truly shine.

One of my greatest blessings in life was the opportunity to attend Catholic schools during my entire education-St. Mary of the Assumption from K-8th grade (Ohio), Lake Catholic High School (Ohio), Marquette University for my undergraduate degree, and University of Portland (Oregon) for my Masters degree as a member of the Pacific Alliance for Catholic Education. I bring experience from both parochial and private schools, most recently, twelve years at University School of Milwaukee in River Hills.

One of my passions is developing children’s inquiry and critical thinking skills through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. I have experience coaching preschool, elementary, and middle school robotics teams. As a recipient of Innovation in Teaching Awards for multiple years, I have demonstrated the ability to mentor teachers in developing engaging, creative learning experiences for children of all ages. After being a contributing member throughout the process of building K-8 maker space experiences in my current school, I look forward to the upcoming STEM lab opportunities for our students at St. Dominic’s.

My leadership style has always been one of visionary thinking, creating teams of people who work together empowered to accomplish common goals. I have led both social-Wmotional and curricular departments where I served a critical role to both build and strengthen curriculum while providing meaningful coaching alongside our teachers. At St. Dominic, each student, teacher, family member, and parishioner has God-given talents and skills that, together, strengthen our community. In the upcoming months, I look forward to meeting you and learning about the people that make St. Dominic such a great place to work, learn, play, and pray.

I invite you to pray alongside me as I begin this important work. Pray with the verse, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (Matthew 19:14). It is of utmost importance to nurture and support the spiritual growth of children, which is central to the mission of a Catholic school. I look forward to my role of continuing to build and strengthen St. Dominic as an environment where children feel welcomed and encouraged to develop their faith and take it with them as their foundation in their daily lives.

As a former track and field athlete at Marquette University, I know that races are won with humility, dedication, and a drive to be the best you can be each day. My first lap during this new role as principal will be building relationships, so I look forward to meeting you soon! Go Knights!
Sincerely,
Brita Willis