Mrs. Mary Parola
Mrs. Parola received her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education at Marywood College, her Master’s Degree in Special Education from Penn State University, and her Educational Specialist Degree in Instructional Leadership & School Administration from Bellarmine University. She has taught in Fairfax County Public Schools, Jefferson County Public Schools, and the Archdiocese of Louisville. She taught science at St. Leonard for 11 years prior to becoming the principal. While teaching at Saint Leonard, Mrs. Parola was the first Archdiocesan recipient of Operation Brightside’s Fred Wiche Award for the planning and construction of a “wetland” outdoor classroom using plants and animals native to Kentucky. Mary is also a recipient of an Aegon Grant for her use of videoconferencing with NASA to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of SPUTNIK along with other space-related science activities. Mrs. Parola and her husband Art have three children, Arthur, Andrew, and Martina, all Saint Leonard grads. In her spare time, Mrs. Parola enjoys running and biking with her family and reading.