Bill McKinley becomes first president of St. Maria Goretti

With a strong background in administration in the public school system of Washington County, Bill McKinley said he is ready to take on a new challenge as the first president of St. Maria Goretti High School in Hagerstown.
A Williamsport native who most recently served as executive director of support services for Washington County schools, Mr. McKinley said there is a need to make more people aware of what St. Maria Goretti has to offer.
“I think St. Maria Goretti is not as well known as it ought to be,” said Mr. McKinley. “I think we can do a better job using the media – being more proactive in advertising and expanding our profile.”
Mr. McKinley said he believes every student and faculty member is an “ambassador” for the school. As president, he said, he will be very involved in reaching out to the wider community in Washington County, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
St. Maria Goretti currently enrolls 216 students and has room for about 30 more, according to Mr. McKinley.
Although he is a Presbyterian, Mr. McKinley said the Catholic spiritual life at St. Maria Goretti appealed to him.
“I think the school has an extremely strong Catholic identity,” he said. “As the only Catholic high school in this county, it’s an icon for Catholic education in the region.”
Mr. McKinley is a former teacher at South Hagerstown High School, assistant principal at North Hagerstown High School and principal of E. Russell Hicks Middle School in Hagerstown. He was also principal of Williamsport High School and director of high schools and middle schools for Washington County public schools.
Mr. McKinley holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education and biology from Middle Tennessee State University and a master’s degree in education administration and supervision from McDaniel College in Westminster.