New Queen of Angels principal coming home; faces unprecedented challenges

For Jennifer Filak, taking her first principal’s job at Queen of Angels School in North Huntingdon was like returning home.

“When I learned of the opportunity, I really felt like I was coming back home. My heart has always stayed here,” said Filak, a Penn-Trafford High School graduate and a former kindergarten and first grade teacher at Queen of Angels.

The years teaching at Queen of Angels “not only helped form me as an educator, but they were a blessing for me personally as I was able to form bonds with students and families that have stayed with me to this day,” said Filak, who started at the school in 1999. “To me, there’s really no better way to impact children and families than being a teacher.”

Filak is taking over leadership of the school in unprecedented times for experienced principals as well as those new to the job.

She succeeds Sandra Stonebreaker and brings a wealth of teaching and administrative experience in Catholic education, said Maureen Marsteller, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Greensburg.

Having worked with Filak for more than a month during the covid-19 pandemic, “the qualities that were evident in her interview and resulted in her hiring have confirmed my assessment that she is a professional, well-qualified, faith-filled educator who will most definitely continue the excellence in Catholic education that is a hallmark of Queen of Angels Catholic School,” Marsteller said.

Filak was a teacher at The Campus Laboratory School of Carlow University in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, where she most recently was assistant head of school for five years. She also worked with faculty there to implement its remote learning structures and collaborated with Carnegie Mellon University in curriculum development.

With covid-19 restrictions affecting all aspects of education, and state government and the Centers for Disease Control issuing guidance for how schools should operate, “every day it is something else,” Filak said.

“One of the words of the year will be flexibility,” Filak said.

That flexibility was tested before school started because the first day of classes has been pushed back to Sept. 8, from Aug. 31. More time is needed to complete installation of air conditioning in the auditorium, said Ruth Ann Noblick, a Queen of Angels spokeswoman.

Enrollment has increased by 35 and the influx of students enrolled in kindergarten through fourth grade has required Queen of Angels to open three new classrooms and hire more teachers, Filak said. The middle school has increased in enrollment as well, she noted. The school has about 200 students enrolled from pre-kindergaren to eighth grade for the coming school year.

Among the changes students will see are hand sanitizers in the hallways and desks moved apart to maintain social distancing. Procedures will be put in place for students moving around the hallways and wearing masks, as outlined by the state.

Queen of Angels plans to have students in the class five days a week, unlike many public schools..

“A large part of the focus needs to be on the entire person, the social and emotional health” of the student, Filak said.

She wants to rebuild the middle school program and wants to focus more on STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math).

“I want to see it grow and blossom,” Filak said.

A big factor in the rise in enrollment has been the Greensburg Catholic Diocese’s Tuition Opportunity Partnership program that provides about $4.1 million in aid to families who demonstrate a financial need and show a willingness to help pay for their child’s education, Filak said.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity that makes Catholic education more affordable,” Filak said.

“The phone has been ringing off the hook,” said Ruth Ann Noblick, Queen of Angels spokeswoman.

The preschool program, however, has experienced a drop in enrollment, which she attributes to parents being concerned about the spread of covid-19. Filak said she is looking to see how it can expand.

“We want to make sure all of the children can feel safe and comfortable.”