A Personal Letter from President Andrew Brady ’02

Dear Members of the West Catholic Prep Community,

I wanted to share a more personal note following yesterday’s announcement. As you likely saw from the announcement yesterday, I will be leaving West Catholic Preparatory High School at the close of this school year to pursue an opportunity at The Connelly Foundation as the Senior Program Officer, Access & Opportunity.

I have spent most of my life between these walls on Chestnut Street. Four years as a student. Four years as a teacher. Six years in the Advancement Office. And the past six years serving as School President. West Catholic Prep has shaped nearly every chapter of my life, and it is impossible to separate who I am from this school.

While I am excited about the opportunity ahead, I am also sad to be leaving this community. Quite frankly, I have received far more from West Catholic Prep than I could ever hope to repay. Although my time here will come to a close in five months, there is still important work to be done, and I will approach my remaining time with the same focus, energy, and care that have guided my work here.

I want to speak clearly about the strength and stability of this school. West Catholic Prep is on solid footing. The mission is strong. Enrollment is healthy. The finances are stable. Most importantly, the people who make this school what it is are deeply committed to its future. 

To our students and families who entrusted us with them, thank you. You have taught me what it means to belong fully, to persevere through challenge, and to live faith and gratitude.  You have reminded me that these are not abstract ideas, but practices lived out in hallways, on fields and courts. Walking alongside you has been one of the great joys of my life.

To our faculty and staff, thank you for your integrity, generosity, and commitment to our students and to one another. You live the mission of this school every day, often quietly and without recognition. Your care for students, your commitment to one another, and your belief in this community give me confidence in what lies ahead.  

To our supporters and friends of West Catholic Prep, thank you for having our back when it mattered. You showed up, you believed in this place, and you put real trust behind that belief. Because of you, this school is strong and well positioned for the future. I am proud of what we built together, grateful for the confidence you’ve placed in me, and excited to see what is in store for this school community in the future.

The school has always been sustained by its Lasallian charism, and that will never change. I leave with deep gratitude, tremendous pride, and complete confidence in the future of this school.

West Catholic Prep will always be home to me and my family. Thank you for the honor of serving this remarkable community. It has been the privilege of my life.

St. John Baptist de La Salle… pray for us.
Live Jesus in our hearts… forever.

With deep respect and gratitude,

 

 

Andrew Brady ’02
President