Rich Fairley returns to Central Maryland as Principal for
St. Maria Goretti High
by Judy Williams

Rich Fairley is the new principal at St. Maria Goretti High School in Hagerstown.  Prior to coming to Maria Goretti, he was at the Cardinal Gibbons school in Baltimore where he served as Vice Principal for Student Affairs and Vice Principal for Academics.

No stranger to Central Maryland, Rich was headmaster, dean of students, and athletic director for nine years at St. John’s Literary Institute at Prospect Hall (now Saint John’s Catholic Prep) in Frederick during the late 1990’s, early 2000’s. Prior to Frederick, Rich was vice principal, teacher and athletic coach at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day school Rockville and the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC.

A native of Maine, Rich moved to Maryland when he was eleven years old.  Growing up in the Silver Spring area, he attended our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Wheaton/Olney.  He attended college at St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology.  He has a master’s degree in education from Johns Hopkins University, with concentration in curriculum and instruction and teaching certification from the University of Maryland.  Rich is currently enrolled in the Educational Leadership Certificate Program at Hood College in Frederick.

Reflecting on his recent job move, Rich says he was ready to assume a higher level of leadership, and St. Maria Goretti High School High School is “a good fit.”  He describes the environment as being “incredibly welcoming.” Staff and students alike contribute to the family atmosphere at the school, stopping by his office to say hi and welcome him to the school.  “There is a legacy of people connected to the school,” he explains.  “Most of the teaching staff is tenured and mature and those who are new bring with them tons of experience.”

“The school has a good foundation and its product is strong,” Rich says.  He plans to “maintain and strengthen were needed.”  One of Rich’s goals for the school is to see more technology in the curriculum.  To this end he would like to see a full time IT staff position created.   This year the school implemented “Edline”– a means of communication between school and parents using the internet.  Parents are able to check grades, communicate with teachers.  Rich reports that the parents love it and staff is doing quite well with it. 

Rich and his wife, Catharine have three children – Michael, 13; Ian, 12; and Grace, 5.  They live in downtown Frederick and are members of St. Katharine Drexel parish, where Rich serves on the parish council, is a lector and member of the Knights of Columbus.

When asked for a quote that inspires him, Rich provided the following, without hesitation,

“Preach the Gospel every day and, when necessary, use words.”

St. Francis of Assisi

We welcome Rich back to Central Maryland and wish him many fruitful years at St. Maria Goretti High School!

The Catholic Education Ministries Center of Central Maryland provides ongoing support to the Catechetical Ministries of Carroll, Frederick, and Washington Counties. This includes training programs for leaders and volunteers in parishes and schools, plus consultation in all areas of catechesis.

Catholic Education Ministries - Mount Saint Mary's, Emmitsburg, 21727
(301) 447-3707   FAX: (301) 447-5399    [More about the Center]