As Mercy High School in Baltimore implements a president-principal administrative model, Pegeen D’Agostino has been named principal of the 450-student school. The parishioner of Corpus Christi in Baltimore will work closely with Mercy Sister Carol Wheeler, the longtime president of the all-girls school.
“We’ve always followed a collaborative model and that will continue,” D’Agostino said. “Our goal going forward is to continue to educate our girls for the 21st century.”
In the coming school year, D’Agostino said Mercy will enhance the quality of teaching and learning by promoting “professional learning communities” (PLCs) among the faculty. Through PLCs, teachers meet once or twice a week within their disciplines to discuss what’s happening in the classroom, evaluate data and strategize.
“PLCs will enable teachers to collaborate, talk to one another and focus on student learning,” D’Agostino said. “It’s very interactive. We see it as a major step in continuing to improve our teaching.”
As principal, D’Agostino will be responsible for the daily operations of the school, including overseeing curriculum and instruction and human development services. She is no stranger to Mercy, having devoted 15 years of service to the school as a teacher, department chair and associate principal.
D’Agostino holds a bachelor’s degree in history and secondary education from Mount St. Agnes College in Baltimore and a master’s of education in reading from Loyola College in Maryland, Baltimore. She has also completed graduate work in administration at Fordham University in New York, Loyola College and the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, Baltimore.
A former teacher in Baltimore City public schools for 10 years, D’Agostino is also a former assistant principal for curriculum and supervision at Our Lady of Mercy Academy in Syosset, New York.