Church of the Holy Rosary

Academy News

Holy Rosary Academy Appoints New Principal

July 14, 2023 / Academy News, Father Baker, News, Parish News

Dear Holy Rosary Parish and Academy Community, Praise be Jesus Christ! I want to introduce to you Mary Martin, our new principal. Please read the following announcement that will be released to the public and to the press this afternoon. I very much look forward to working with Mary Martin to carry out the mission of Holy Rosary Academy. I believe that you will be engaged by her humble and humorous personality as well as impressed by her credentials and experience in Catholic education. She is excited to join the team at Holy Rosary. Let us unite in praying for Mary Martin as she begins the great adventure as principal of Holy Rosary Academy.

Faithfully, Fr. Baker

HOLY ROSARY ACADEMY APPOINTS NEW PRINCIPAL

Catholic leader rooted in math and science to welcome students August 7

Nashville, Tenn., July 14, 2023 – Holy Rosary Academy is pleased to announce the appointment of Mary Martin as the new principal of the Donelson-area Catholic school serving grades pre-K3 through 8. Martin’s leadership of Holy Rosary Academy (HRA) will begin Monday, July 17, 2023.

Martin was selected for this important leadership position after a thorough national search, during which Father John Sims Baker, pastor of Holy Rosary Catholic Church, worked with leaders from the parish, school, and the Diocese of Nashville’s human resources office to build a pool of qualified candidates for consideration. Martin comes to Nashville from Milford, Ohio, having most recently served as a middle school science teacher for St. Andrew-St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School.

Martin’s extensive experience in the classroom and in leadership roles spans two decades in Ohio. She served as principal of St. Michael Catholic School in Ripley and Holy Angels Catholic School in Sidney. She also taught science, social studies, math, and religion at St. Mary Catholic School, Holy Family Catholic School, and the public school system in Cincinnati and in St. Patrick Catholic School in Troy.

At St. Mary School, she co-developed a K-through-grade 5 Spanish language program and mentored children in the creation and broadcast of a student-produced foreign language podcast. At St. Michael School, her accomplishments as principal include a significant increase in student participation in school intervention programs and the establishment of professional learning communities (PLCs) to better support teachers.

Martin is a fellow of the University of Notre Dame’s ACE Principal Academy, South Bend, Indiana. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with a science-middle school endorsement from Purdue University Calumet in Hammond, Indiana, and a master’s degree in education administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati.

Martin says she was impressed by Holy Rosary’s tradition of excellence, evidenced by the school’s 2013 and 2020 designations as a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. “The opportunity to lead this talented team of instructors and help propel students along a path of academic success and spiritual formation is both unique and exciting,” Martin said.

She is relocating from Ohio with her dog, Eli, and will be onsite at HRA later this month; however, she is already beginning to recruit staff to round out the HRA team. Martin said, “The commitment to community espoused by the Holy Rosary mission touched my heart. I’m eager to bring the highest caliber teachers and administrators to our school to foster that mission in the hearts and minds of our children.”

Among the pool of candidates, Father Baker said Martin’s experience in middle school leadership and her years as a teacher and mentor in STREAM (science, technology, religion, engineering, arts, and mathematics) subjects stood out. “Her approach to childhood education is modern and engaging in a world where competition for our children’s attention and creativity can be daunting.” Father Baker cited the example of a podcast program that Martin established in a previous role as an approach that was both educational and fun for students. “Mary will support innovative classroom approaches alongside Holy Rosary’s tradition of excellence and strong Catholic mission.”

“As an experienced Catholic school leader, Mary Martin brings the complex set of skills required to foster student success by supporting and encouraging our teachers and administrators. She will further strengthen our focus on academic excellence and Gospel-based Catholic mission.” Father Baker added, “Holy Rosary Academy students and parents deserve the very best. She has it all: credentials, experience, and a living faith in Jesus Christ.”

Martin is a proud Irish Catholic who attended Catholic elementary and high schools as a child. Her children are grown, and she looks forward to visits from them in her new Nashville home. In her free time, she crochets and roots for the Cincinnati Reds and the Bengals.

Giving Tuesday

November 29, 2020 / Academy News, News, Parish News

Please join us in our efforts to make Giving Tuesday a fantastic day of giving in our community and across the nation!

Please consider supporting HRA and Holy Rosary’s Narthex Refresh!

Our Narthex Refresh plans include updating the bathrooms with touchless faucets and towel dispensers and making the Training Chapel a more welcome space for young families.

You can donate on Tuesday, Dec. 1, or give today at this link for HRA and this link for the Narthex Refresh. You can also use the envelopes available in the pews at church.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

New Operations Manager for Holy Rosary

June 9, 2020 / Academy News, News, Parish News

Father Steiner, pastor of Holy Rosary Church and Academy is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Rob Gallagher as Operations Manager effective June 9, 2020.

Rob earned his Bachelors degree with double majors in Business Administration and Computer Science from the University of Dubuque, Dubuque, IA. He later earned his Masters degree in Business Administration from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University here in Nashville.

A native Nashvillian, Rob began his career at Genesco Inc in Information Technology later transitioning to Corporate Finance responsible for all cash management and corporate investments. Since then he has held roles in operational finance at Shop at Home Networks, Gaylord Entertainment, Dollar General and Logan’s Roadhouse. Further, Rob is a Level 1 Reserve Police Officer with the Mt. Juliet Police Department.

Rob has been married to his wife, Cindy Gallagher for 29 years. They have three grown children: Robert, Jack and Maura. Rob & Cindy are active members of Holy Rosary Parish serving in leadership roles on the Haiti Committee, Covid-19 Task Force and Usher Ministry.

Holy Rosary Academy Announces New Principal

May 26, 2020 / Academy News, News

Father Steiner, pastor of Holy Rosary Church and Academy is proud to announce the appointment of Mrs. Kimber Halliburton as its newest principal.

Kimber Halliburton began her career as a special education teacher in Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) at J.E. Moss Elementary School in 1988. While serving as a teacher in MNPS she taught in both general education and special education classroom settings. Mrs. Halliburton then departed MNPS for an opportunity to teach in her home parish where her children attended school. She taught 4th grade at St. Henry School for nearly 6 years. Kimber served as a classroom teacher in both public and private schools for nearly 14 years prior to accepting a school administrative role.

In 2000, Kimber returned to MNPS. She served as the lead principal of the following schools: Lockeland Design Center in East Nashville, Bellevue Middle School, Harpeth Valley Elementary School, and Waverly Belmont Elementary School in the 12th South area of Nashville. She was tapped by two different MNPS Superintendents, Dr. Pedro Garcia and Dr. Jesse Register, to open and staff 2 new schools building the academic programs while overseeing renovations and construction. She started Lockeland in 2004 and as a result of her leadership and a team of talented teachers, Lockeland ranked 1st academically in the district on state assessments after the school’s first year in both Reading and Math. Lockeland outperformed all 73 elementary schools in MNPS.

At the end of her career in MNPS, she opened Waverly Belmont which is also a top performing school in MNPS. Mrs. Halliburton has served as a school leader for 17 years in various capacities as a principal and as a network lead principal overseeing 6 schools in MNPS. She also served as a Superintendent of Schools in Tennessee and Mississippi before retiring and returning to her children and family in Nashville. Under her leadership in Washington County School System, the district received “Exemplary Status” scoring a 5 out of 5 which is the highest ranking from the Tennessee Department of Education. The county became the highest-ranking county school system in the First Region of Tennessee. While serving in Madison as Superintendent, the district went from a 15th ranking to ranking 4th in the State of Mississippi for overall academic performance on state assessments.

Kimber earned her Bachelors degree in Elementary and Special Education from Middle Tennessee State University and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University. Mrs. Halliburton is currently working on her Doctorate degree in Leadership and Professional Practice at Trevecca and is scheduled to complete her coursework in June 2020 and dissertation in June 2021.

She is also a graduate of the Principals’ Leadership Academy of Nashville (PLAN), a collaboration between MNPS and Vanderbilt University to help groom top leadership talent. She also served as a mentor principal for PLAN, shepherding assistant principals who demonstrated talent to lead as executive principals in the future in MNPS. She was also among the first group of Nashville educators to travel to China with the Education Leadership Learning Exchange. Her international studies offered her an opportunity to develop diverse thoughts and practices in how to best educate students.

Kimber has been married to her husband, Frank Halliburton, for 32 years. They have 3 children: Alex, age 30; Raegan, age 29; and Olivia, age 22. Each of the Halliburton children is a proud graduate of Father Ryan High School. Alex is a Senior Project Manager/Electrical Engineer in Nashville; Raegan is a Blue Ribbon award-winning teacher in MNPS; and Olivia is a soon to be graduate of UT-Knoxville heading to Belmont School of Law on an academic scholarship this fall. Mrs. Halliburton is extremely excited to return to Catholic education to serve her church, continue to live out her Catholic faith, and lead Holy Rosary Academy toward continued excellence. The Halliburton’s are parishioners at St. Matthew Church in Franklin.