Longtime principal retiring

“When I started (in 1990), the school was declining enrollment, we were in debt, we had no financial stability, morale was low and people were worried the school was going to close,” Anthony said.

She said it took three to four years before she was able to institute new programs and activities and get the school to a place beyond mere survival.

Today, the preschool-eighth grade school enjoys a balanced budget, thriving tuition assistance fund, an endowment that exceeds $1 million, a strong savings account and rigorous curriculum that supports all learners, Anthony said in a letter announcing her retirement.

“For a new person to come in now, all the things that need to be in place to move the school to the next level are here,” she said.

Before she was appointed principal of Mount Carmel, Anthony taught sixth- and eighth-grades for 16 years, 13 of which were at St. Charles School in San Carlos.

Anthony, who has lived in Redwood City for 25 years with her husband and three children, who are now adults, said she plans to stay in the area post-retirement, and spend her time volunteering, traveling and pursing hobbies, including scrapbooking and pickle ball.

A physical education major, Anthony said she always loved sports, and was initially inspired to pursue education in middle school by several women mentors shortly after the passage of Title IX, which banned sex-based discrimination.

“These women were great role models in terms of honoring the game, showing young people that everyone has the ability to do well, the value of hard work and perseverance, having other people believe in you and believing in yourself,” she said.

A testament to the mentorship offered by Mount Carmel teachers, Anthony said the school enrolls many second-, third- and even fourth-generation students, and seven of the school’s 39 teachers and staff are Mount Carmel graduates.

“I never intended to stay in grammar schools or the Catholic grammar school that I went to, but because of Anthony’s leadership and all the improvements that she was doing — that really made me want to stay,” said Gina Furrer, who has taught eighth-grade at the school for 21 years. Furrer and her children both attended Mount Carmel.

Anthony said the addition of technology to classrooms is one of the biggest changes the school has seen over the years. Classrooms are equipped with interactive whiteboards and 90 percent of Mount Carmel students have a device of some kind. Anthony said the goal is to get children comfortable with a variety of devices.

“Anthony has never said ‘no’ to me for a request that would ultimately benefit the students,” Furrer said. “Whether it was supplies, technology, furthering my own education to be a better teacher, (Anthony) always found a way to make it happen. She always saw the big picture.”

For Anthony, maintaining tradition was a hallmark of her tenure; the school remained committed to its Catholic identity and regularly honors the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, who founded the school in 1885.

As for advice for up-and-coming teachers, Anthony said education must be seen as a vocation, not a job.

“Always keep the children at the forefront of all you do,” she said.

zachary@smdailyjournal.com

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