By Mary Owen
As Principal Rick Schindler stepped down to follow a new career path at Regis St. Mary Catholic School, Candi Hedrick stepped up to fill the position.
“My current feeling of stepping into the principal role is mostly excitement!” said Hedrick, who started her duties on July 1. “I am extremely honored and thankful for the opportunity to return to Regis St. Mary. It was the postcard promise of a faith-based education that first brought my family to our school 11 years ago.”
After a long principal search that began last November, the RSMCS board of directors selected Hedrick, who served three years as its vice-principal. Additionally, she has many years experience as assistant principal in the Salem-Keizer and Warm Springs school districts. She is also a certified instructional coach and reading specialist, and has “the expertise and acknowledged talent in developing and improving curriculum for academic excellence and rigor,” according to school officials.
“I started my career off as a teacher, and this will be my sixth year as a school administrator,” Hedrick said. “We have such an incredible team of educators to serve our families and community, that it’s difficult to feel anything less than hopeful for the future of our schools.
“I believe that as long as we continue to put students first and insist on providing nothing but the best instruction and high levels of learning for every student,” she added. “Then we will successfully advance our mission and vision.”
Hedrick said the current challenge is to creatively promote the Catholic school’s program to a greater number of families and future students, while continuing to provide a high-quality and academically-excellent educational experience preschool through 12th grade.
“We will partner with our current families and the community to increase enrollment and fine tune our curricular offerings,” Hedrick said. “Regis St. Mary exists to give students a chance at life. We work hard to promote the talents of each student and to provide an environment that encourages students to learn, lead and serve.”
Hedrick said the Regis St. Mary Catholic School mission is to develop disciples of Christ that “are able to step into the world after graduation and feel confident that they are prepared to be who they were created to be.”
Hedrick lives in Lyons with her high school sweetheart, Jeremy, whom she married in 1997. The couple has three children: Fisher, 16, Emma, 14 and Faith, 11. She grew up in Detroit, Oregon and graduated from Santiam High School in 1995. She holds a bachelor’s degree in humanities from Western Oregon University, a Master of Arts in teaching from Willamette University, and an administrative degree from the University of Portland. She is also a parishioner at Immaculate Conception church in Stayton. In her spare time, she loves to “read, re-watch Chef’s Table, and listen to a great homily.”
“I am blessed to work in conjunction with a team of incredible mentors, colleagues and students,” Hedrick said. “I firmly believe in Catholic education and feel it presents a unique and special opportunity to serve students, build relationships, and partner with the greater community.
“Catholic education provides a strong foundation for the development of a lifetime devotion to service and learning and is truly one of the greatest legacies we can offer to our students,” she added. “I look forward to working with you and your children to help ensure that our students have a successful school year!”
