Ex-Marine taking on new challenge

St. Peter's new principal applies leadership to kids

Friday, June 5, 2009

West, 50, will begin his duties as the new principal of St. Peter's School in Waldorf in late August and it's a challenge that he said he is looking forward to.

West, a teacher at Dahlgren Elementary School in Dahlgren, Va., is replacing longtime Principal Jude DeLucco who has accepted a principal's position at a Catholic elementary school in Salisbury on the Eastern Shore.

The school's nine-member search committee evaluated 12 applicants who were forwarded to St. Peter's from the Archdiocese of Washington for the position before hiring West, who lives in King George, Va., said Monsignor Bill Parent, pastor of St. Peter's Church.

"We're very excited about Mr. West coming to the school," Parent said. "We're really just thrilled to find someone like Mr. West. He really loves teaching and he wants to try his hand at being a principal."

West planned on visiting the school last week to meet the teachers and administrative staff, Parent said.

A native of New Mexico, West graduated from Missouri Western State College in 1981 with a bachelor of science degree in business administration, Parent said. He enlisted in the Marines and moved to Pensacola, Fla., for flight school.

After flight training, West joined a Marine Corps attack helicopter squadron at Camp Pendleton, Calif., retiring after 21 years, Parent said.

During the last two years that he served in the Marines, West attended Mary Washington University where he earned a master's degree in education and a Virginia state teacher's license.

West began his education career as a fifth-grade teacher in Fredericksburg, Va., Parent said. After five years, he accepted a position at Dahlgren Elementary School.

"I'm very excited about coming to St. Peter's," West said. "I know that the school has a wonderful outgoing principal and it's going to be hard to fill her shoes."

DeLucco, who has been at St. Peter's for 21 years, will be missed, Parent said.

"I've know her since I was a seminarian at St. Peter's," he said. "She has led our school through unprecedented change and she's been a constant through it all. She's a committed leader who cares about the students' academic and spiritual lives."

West, who is married and has two adult children, is a member of Sacred Heart Church in La Plata. He said he is eager to start his role as principal.

"It's all about service," he said. "I feel that my mission in life is to serve others. I served others in the Marine Corps and I'll continue to serve as an educator."

nmcconaty@somdnews.com