On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we are proud to announce Catherine Ronan Karrels ’86 as our new Head of School. After a
yearlong, nationwide search, she was the unanimous choice of the
Board and Search Committee, and will assume her responsibilities
July 1, 2008.
The Stone Ridge community charged the Search Committee with
finding a visionary leader with strong academic experience and
credentials, as well as outstanding interpersonal and communication
skills. Based on her professional background and education,
including twelve years at Stone Ridge (Class of 1986), we believe
Mrs. Karrels is the perfect leader for our school. Her understanding
and commitment to the Goals and Criteria of Sacred Heart
Schools will support her as she builds on Stone Ridge’s
extraordinary strengths and traditions, leading our community into
the future.
Mrs. Karrels is President and CEO of De Marillac Academy, which
she founded in 2001 for low-income, at-risk students in San
Francisco. Preceding her appointment, she spent six years at Sacred
Heart Cathedral Preparatory, a co-ed high school of 1,200 students,
where she was an instructor in English and religious studies,
Director of Student Activities, and Assistant Principal for Student
Life. Prior to her work in secondary education, she taught fifth and
sixth grades and served one year as a Jesuit Volunteer. A graduate
of Boston College, she received their Alumni Association Award for
Excellence in Education in 2005, and holds a master’s degree in
education from San Francisco State University.
With this announcement, we extend many thanks to our Interim Head
of School, Dr. Richard Barbieri, for his dedication over the
last year. We maintain the highest regard for his enthusiasm and
demonstrated leadership as his role continues through the next
academic year.
We are grateful to both the
Advisory and
Search committees for
their steadfast commitment and tireless efforts in bringing this
search to its successful conclusion. We thank all our Stone Ridge
constituents for sharing their time and thoughts throughout this
process.
Please join us in welcoming Catherine Ronan Karrels, her husband,
Jim, and son, Matthew, to the Stone Ridge community as we transition
in the coming year.
Sincerely,
Patricia Aiken-O’Neill, Esq. ’62 Chair, Board of Trustees
Jane D. Trevisan Chair, Search Committee
Our Neighbor to the South
March 23, 2007 Update
Re: National Naval Medical Center–Walter Reed
Army Medical Center Base Realignment and Closure
(BRAC)
As most of the region knows by now, Stone
Ridge’s neighbor Navy Medical is deeply involved
in the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC)
process, taking on many services now being
performed at Walter Reed. As Navy Med’s
next-door neighbor, we are working to be
included in every aspect of the review process.
To give you an update:
• We have formed an internal Stone Ridge BRAC
Committee including current trustees and friends
of Stone Ridge with good understanding of the
workings of local, state, and federal processes.
Members of the Stone Ridge BRAC Committee
include Pat Aiken-O’Neill (Board Chair),
Pat Baptiste, Richard Barbieri,
David Bates, Paul Carey, Jean
Cryor, Fr. William George, Bill
McGlockton, George Milne (Committee
Chair), Judge Cynthia Moraglia, and
Sr. Margaret Strom.
• We have filed our written concerns about the
impact of the new construction and patient and
personnel additions to the hospital for the
Environmental Impact Statement now being
undertaken by the Navy as part of the BRAC
Master Plan.
• On March 13, 2007 the committee invited a
number of our surrounding local neighborhood
associations to a meeting at Stone Ridge to
discuss common concerns and to engage in
community building with our neighbors.
• Board Chair Patricia Aiken-O’Neill and Dr.
Barbieri have both been given seats on the
Montgomery County Committee on BRAC formed
recently by County Executive Ike Leggett. That
Committee met for the first time on March 20,
2007.
• Dr. Barbieri also sits on the NIH Community
Advisory Council, where the BRAC consequences
for Navy Med and Bethesda are regularly
discussed.
• On March 22, 2007 members of our committee met
with Deputy Commander Michael Malinoski
from Navy Med. We had a very positive
conversation—Captain Malinoski is a Gonzaga
parent—and will continue to meet with Navy Med
personnel as the process goes forward.
At this moment, it is impossible to predict
the future, particularly given recent events
involving Walter Reed. We do know that Navy Med
has 290 acres of property and foresees no call
whatsoever for additional land in order to meet
any of its needs. We have also learned that
rumors about additional helipads and helicopter
traffic are entirely inaccurate. Most important,
we believe that the hospital, Stone Ridge, the
neighbors, and the county are unified in seeking
to make every effort to mitigate traffic impacts
and other disruptions, and that we at Stone
Ridge are being included as the process goes
forward. Please feel free to contact Dr.
Barbieri with questions or suggestions at 301-657-4322, ext. 317 or e-mail
Sincerely,
George Milne, Chairperson
Stone Ridge BRAC Committee
February 28, 2007
Re: National Naval Medical Center – Walter Reed
Army Medical Center Base Relocation And Closing
(BRAC)
Dear Stone Ridge Community,
As many of you know, the National Naval Medical
Center (NNMC), our immediate neighbor to the
south on Rockville Pike, has been ordered under
the Base Relocation And Closing (BRAC) Law to
absorb a large portion of patients and staff
from Walter Reed Army Hospital. Walter Reed will
then close. The newly integrated facility will
be renamed the Walter Reed Military Medical
Center. Improvements on the property next door
are scheduled for completion by September 2011.
Dr. Richard Barbieri, our Head of School, and a
number of Stone Ridge Trustees have attended the
various public meetings conducted by the Navy in
recent months as part of the preparation of the
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for this
project.
On February 2, 2007, Stone Ridge provided a
comment letter outlining the school’s concerns
to the NNMC. The letter is to be included in the
Navy’s Environmental Impact Statement.
To stay on top of this fast moving project, the
Board also created a new “BRAC Committee.” The
committee includes, in addition to several
Trustees, individuals from our Stone Ridge
community with planning and government
experience. The purpose of the committee is to
lobby the appropriate government officials to
enlist their assistance to protect the interests
of Stone Ridge during the implementation of the
BRAC Law on the Navy’s property. Our principal
concern is the effect on traffic. Although
traffic issues will not surface until after the
scheduled completion in 2011, we have and will
continue to strongly encourage the NNMC to
forcefully pursue the addition of a dedicated
exit into the Medical Center off I-495 to
alleviate additional pressure on the Rockville
Pike-Cedar Lane intersection. The map shows that
this is feasible because the NNMC property
extends from Rockville Pike north and east to
the Beltway. In addition, the committee is also
already engaged in a process of coalition and
community building with our surrounding
neighborhood associations, all of whom share our
concerns.
Parents and other members of the Stone Ridge
community who have information, contacts, and
other experience that may be helpful to the
school are encouraged to call Dr. Richard Barbieri at 301-657-4322, ext. 317 or e-mail
Sincerely,
George Milne, Chairperson
Stone Ridge BRAC Committee
Letters
