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'Fresh start' for Holy Names

Tribune file photo (1999)

Sister Jo'Ann De Quattro of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary said the school was at a turning point.

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By JAMIE PILARCZYK

jpilarczyk@tampatrib.com

Published: July 2, 2009

TAMPA - The religious order that founded the Academy of the Holy Names replaced the historical South Tampa school's board of trustees Wednesday afternoon and formed a new interim board.

Sister Jo'Ann De Quattro of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary said the school was at a turning point with a change in administration. Jacqueline Landry, the previous president of the academy, left and is being replaced by Harry Purpur, who will serve as interim campus president. Purpur is scheduled to arrive on campus July 13.

"We believe it's an opportunity for us to look ahead into the future and collaborate with a new administration that reflects our vision and mission," De Quattro said. "It's a fresh start."

De Quattro said the school's mission is to prepare young men and women to be people of faith, integrity, and to do justice in an ever-shrinking world.

"There are committed faculty and staff members who believe in this school," De Quattro said, and they are grateful for the past commitment and efforts of the trustees. "It's not a personal thing. It's a hope-filled decision."

New board members include Sisters De Quattro, Emma Bezaire, Elizabeth Crean, Virginia Dunn, Maria Faina, Mary Ellen Holohan and Judith Mayer.

Previous trustees included Hillsborough County Commissioner Rose Ferlita and former Tampa Councilman Bob Buckhorn, among other religious and lay members.

The academy, founded in 1881, has about 800 students in its coeducational elementary and girls-only high school. The prominent campus is bisected by MacDill Avenue and stretches to Bayshore Boulevard.

The Roman Catholic order was founded in Quebec in 1843 and has its headquarters in Oregon.

Reporter Jamie Pilarczyk can be reached at (813) 259-7661.

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