Please Join Me in Celebrating Principal Dave McDonough for His Service to Our Community

Dear Friends of St. James,

At the end of last academic year, after 9 years of devoted servant leadership at St. James School, our beloved Principal and Assistant Head of School, Dave McDonough, shared with me that it was time for him to move on. We are deeply grateful for all the ways in which Dave has lived and modeled our vision, mission, and values.

I invite you to join us on September 17th for an Open House Celebration of Service to honor Mr. McDonough for guiding and supporting our faculty and students through nearly a decade of growth, change, and the unprecedented challenges of a global pandemic. We all can thank him in person at the event, which will take place from 4:00-6:00 PM.

The school will remain in capable hands. I have appointed an Interim Schoolhouse Leadership Team of three veteran St. James leaders: Sarah Carroll, Leah Young, and Sonya Kedarnath. All have been promoted to Assistant Head of School. Sarah, previously Assistant Principal, will lead Curriculum and Instruction. Leah, previously Director of the Wellness Center, will lead Student and Family Engagement. Sonya will continue to lead Graduate Support with an expanded role in a deeper partnership with the school in preparing our young scholars for high school.

I am excited to pilot this new model. The interim team will be in place throughout the 2025-26 school year. We will assess midway whether the leadership team model or a new principal would be best for the school’s future.

Lest anyone think Dave’s departure is sudden, I assure you that Dave and I have been discerning the future for some years. Nothing “happened.” After much thought and prayer, his answer to “why and why now” is to quote Ecclesiastes 3: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.”

I know in my heart that Dave loves St. James as much as I do. While his season as our Principal has ended, he promises to stay involved with our community. Please keep Dave in your prayers as he takes some personal time to discern where God is calling him to serve next.

In gratitude,

Dave Kasievich, President and Head of School

P.S. I welcome you to email me with questions and comments. I also invite you to share a note of appreciation for Dave McDonough. I will collect these and present them to him.