Curley names new principal

Conventual Franciscan Father Joseph Benicewicz, president of Baltimore’s Archbishop Curley High School, announced the appointment of Philip Piercy as principal, effective July 1.

Piercy has been Curley’s assistant principal of academics for five years. A parishioner of St. Francis de Sales in Abingdon, he previously was a social studies teacher and dean of students at The John Carroll School in Bel Air.

Piercy holds a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Elizabethtown College and a master’s degree in administration and supervision from Loyola University Maryland. He is currently a doctoral candidate in educational leadership at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland.

“During the course of this year,” Father Benicewicz said, “I have been very impressed with Mr. Piercy’s intellectual capabilities, dedication to the mission of Curley and the value of Catholic education, and his desire to help Curley continue to meet the challenges we face as a school.”

Piercy succeeds Barry Brownlee, who is retiring after 10 years as principal and a total of 22 on the Curley faculty. Curley also announced that vice president for finance Joseph DellaMonica, who has been with the school for 43 of its 50 years, will retire this summer.

Father Beniciewicz noted that Brownlee and DellaMonica delayed their retirement plans in order to assist his transition to the presidency of the school.