Sue Sheehan, the principal of St. Andrew Apostle School in Silver Spring, Maryland, has been named as the 2024-25 Distinguished Principal of the Year for The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.
Kelly Branaman, the archdiocese’s Secretary for Catholic Schools and Superintendent of Schools, made the surprise announcement at St. Andrew Apostle Church on Oct. 4, where the school’s students, teachers and staff had gathered before an All-School Adoration of the Eucharist. After the announcement, the school community responded with cheers and a long standing ovation for their principal.
Praising Sheehan, Branaman said, “You embody the spirit of servant leadership. You do so much for others… Faith is at the forefront of all you do.” She said St. Andrew’s principal has dedicated herself to her school’s teachers, students and families, and is known for being a supporter, mentor and collaborator with her fellow Catholic school principals.
Sue Sheehan has served at St. Andrew Apostle School since the year 2000, as the principal for the past 15 years, and in the 10 years prior to that as a fourth and fifth grade teacher and then as the school’s vice principal.
In a letter sent that day to Catholic school leaders in the archdiocese, Branaman said the annual Distinguished Principal of the Year award recognizes an outstanding archdiocesan principal for remarkable contributions to Catholic school leadership.
“Susan has been an invaluable part of the Archdiocese of Washington for 25 years,” Branaman wrote, noting that after Sheehan was nominated by colleagues, the Catholic Schools Office unanimously supported her receiving the award, which the Secretary for Catholic Schools said “is a testament to her unwavering dedication and outstanding leadership by example.”
Branaman in that letter underscored Sheehan’s “willingness to lend a helping hand among fellow principals,” and she added, “Her contributions to various committees and collaborative efforts within the Archdiocese of Washington as well as ESPA (the Elementary Schools Principals Association) have enriched all of our schools.”
After her award was announced at the church, Sue Sheehan praised the St. Andrew Apostle School community, saying, “I hope you feel it is your award, too. You help make this school what it is.”
St. Andrew Apostle School received the National Blue Ribbon Schools Award from the U.S. Department of Education in 1989 and again in 2007, recognizing it as one of the nation’s outstanding schools. The school has 418 students from pre-kindergarten through the eighth grade, and the St. Andrew Apostle Tiny Tots Center offers a full-day, year-round educational program starting with infants at 6 weeks of age through children who are 2 years old.
The website for St. Andrew Apostle School notes that subject area specialists there teach science, technology, art, Spanish and music, and resource specialists are available. The St. Andrew’s website also notes that the school was recognized by the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth as a top school in Maryland.
After the announcement about Sheehan’s Distinguished Principal of the Year honor, the St. Andrew Apostle students and teachers participated in an All-School Adoration of the Eucharist led by Father John Lado, a parochial vicar there. The students prayed reverently during the adoration, and the school’s choir led them in singing songs including “Jesus, My Faith is in You.” The Adoration concluded with them singing “Holy God We Praise Thy Name.”
In an interview beforehand, Father John Kennealy, St. Andrew’s pastor, praised Sheehan’s “passion for Catholic education” and noted her years of service at the school as a principal and teacher, and her good work in hiring and retaining teachers there.
Later that afternoon, Mary Margaret Regan, a middle school resource teacher at St. Andrew Apostle School, in an interview praised Sheehan “as the most loving and caring person I’ve ever met,” adding that the principal “just cares for everyone in the building and everyone’s families.”
Sue Sheehan grew up as a member of St. Joseph Parish in Beltsville, Maryland, and as a single parent, she sent her three children to St. Jerome’s School in Hyattsville. She taught in public schools for 11 years before joining the staff of St. Andrew Apostle School. In an interview, she noted that as a public school teacher, she couldn’t share her faith with students. “I wanted that (Catholic school experience) for my children, and I wanted that for myself, too,” she said, explaining her move to being a Catholic school teacher.
She noted that now, five of her eight grandchildren are students at St. Andrew Apostle School.
St. Andrew’s principal noted that the school has students with family roots in 72 different countries. That day, the school had an Hispanic Heritage Month fair, with classes doing different activities to celebrate the histories, cultures, dance, food and music of Latin American countries.
With their diverse family backgrounds, St. Andrew’s students “represent the world, (and) they all respect each other,” Sheehan said.
Asked what impact that she hopes St. Andrew Apostle School has on its students, Sheehan said she hopes that students and graduates always feel at home there.
