Sometimes, when you know it’s time, it’s time.
That was the situation with Sharon Leamy, principal of St. Catherine-St. Lucy Catholic School. She will retire June 30 after 20 years as a teacher and administrator, the last eight as principal of the Oak Park institution that is part of the Big Shoulders Fund, a nonprofit organization that helps schools in under-resourced areas.
“It was not an easy decision,” she said. “Once I verbalized the decision, I didn’t have anxiety about it. I felt at peace about it inside. It’s not an easy decision you make.”
Leamy said to be successful in her role as principal especially, she spent long hours at school at Washington Boulevard and Humphrey, often from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., considering there were events after the school day, like sports, and many events on weekends.
That’s enough to wear on a person after a while, but for Leamy, it was virtually a life mission.
“Truly, I love St. Catherine-St. Lucy,” she said. “I poured my heart and soul into that place, and I brought my family with me. It’s a lot and I just started feeling in my heart over last summer, and I started thinking about it and started talking about it with my family, and it was a very difficult decision to reach.
St. Catherine-St. Lucy president Staunton Peck said Monday that an in-house candidate will become the new principal, which will be announced in the coming weeks after communicating with the school’s faculty and staff.
“The academic and cultural strength of our school over the last decade is a direct result of Sharon Leamy’s leadership,” Peck said. “In everything she does, she embodies peace, love and excellence, setting the standard for our entire community to follow. Sharon’s leadership is defined by her heart; she is a friend to all and a constant, warm light in our hallways.
“We owe her a great debt of gratitude for her years of relentless service and will truly miss her presence in our halls.”
Though she is retiring, Leamy is going to work with the new principal to ensure a smooth transition for the school, though not physically in the building.
Leamy worked out of college at Ryerson, a metals company, and when it was taken over by a private equity firm, she took a buyout package and pursued a teaching degree.
In August 2006, she began at St. Catherine-St. Lucy and taught junior high math and science before ascending to assistant principal and ultimately principal eight years ago.
That was just before the pandemic, which she recalls with utmost clarity.
“It was difficult because there was so much unknown,” she said. “We had parent-teacher conferences, it was a Thursday, the next day was a teacher institute day. We had hand sanitizer and then the archdiocese shut down the schools.”
The following fall, while public schools remained closed, St. Catherine-St. Lucy opened, though in a hybrid fashion.
“Families we serve were very hesitant to come back in the building,” Leamy recalled. “We did go to e-learning for our first through eighth grade, but we opened our building for any kids who needed a place to go. We created barriers with PVC piping and shower curtains.
“We weathered through it. As people started getting vaccinated, we opened the building up. We became stronger as a staff and our kids came back.”
Leamy added she is most proud of the fact that both enrollment and academics are thriving, and what her students do when they move on to high school and beyond.
But what will she do with her time after June 30, besides do some limited work with the new principal?
“I’m going to keep working,” she said. “I don’t know exactly what, but I’m not going to stop working.
“I’m blessed to have a wonderful family and beautiful friends. I will do some volunteering.”