By Kathi Stearns, Staff Writer

SANDY SPRINGS--A national search has begun for the headmaster of the Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan School which is scheduled to open in the fall of 1996.

Defined as an independent, non-parochial Catholic school, it is projected to serve between 550-625 students in grades kindergarten through eight. Planning is geared so that all grades will open the first year of the school’s operation.

The school building is located at 4820 Long Island Drive in Sandy Springs and is the present facility of the Atlanta International School (AIS). The land and buildings of the AIS were purchased for $3.4 million Dec. 12, 1994, according to Msgr. Edward Dillon, vicar general of the archdiocese and board member of the newly established school.

The endeavor is being funded by the board of the Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan School through foundation grants, corporate and private donations and a loan that will be amortized through operations, Msgr. Dillon said. To date the Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan School has raised $42 million in pledges and cash for the acquisition and renovation of the facility. According to Msgr. Dillon, the school has received foundation grants in the amount of $300,000 from Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation and $500,000 from a private foundation that wishes to remain anonymous. The board has also received financial gifts of $300,000 and $500,000 each from private individuals.

The board of trustees will assume possession of the land and school buildings June 30. At that time renovations to the buildings and parking lot will be made. The board intends to spend just over $1 million in renovations which include remodeling, painting and the addition of computers, two phone systems, furniture and library resources, Msgr. Dillon said. As money becomes available the board intends to add more facilities.

The grounds are within the confines of Holy Spirit Parish and Msgr. Dillon, Holy Spirit pastor, became interested when the school was placed on the market in 1994. He came to the conclusion that it would be more feasible as an independent school with a Catholic identity.

The school will operate on a cost of education basis, that is, tuition will cover the actual cost of educating the child, Msgr. Dillon said. Parishes will not be responsible for subsidizing the school. The board anticipates the tuition for the 1996 academic year to be in the range of $6,000 to $6,500 when the school opens in a year and a half.

However, planning is geared to have an unusually low student-teacher ration of 13 to 15-1, Msgr. Dillon said.

“We are committed to providing a quality, Catholic education,” said Msgr. Dillon. “This is our goal, and we believe that a low student-teacher ratio will make a noticeable difference in the quality of education we are able to provide our students. When it comes to the students and their education, we are unwilling to take any shortcuts.”

For those unable to pay the full tuition, the board will establish a continuing assistance program to help defray expenses. The board will make at least $250,000 in financial assistance available the first year, Msgr. Dillon said. By providing this assistance the board hopes to maintain a diverse socio-economic and racial balance at the school.

The Donnellan School has the sanction of the Atlanta Archdiocese and will conform with its policies, Msgr. Dillon said. The religious curriculum will be under the supervision of the archdiocesan Department of Education.

The board expects the majority of the student body to be Catholic. “Like all Catholic schools we will avail ourselves to the Catholic population as a whole,” Msgr. Dillon said. “The Catholic population is clamoring for quality traditional Catholic formation for their children. We want to be an addition to the other Catholic schools, not competition.”

Msgr. Dillon hopes that the parents of Holy Spirit Preschool will consider the new grade school for their children. “It certainly has the potential for a perfect feeder relationship, but there is no formal or direct connection between the two,” Msgr. Dillon said.

The school was named for Atlanta’s second archbishop, who served the archdiocese for 19 years before his death in October, 1987. In September, 1986, Archbishop Donnellan broke-ground for St. John Neumann Regional School, the last Catholic school built in the archdiocese.

“The new school is a fitting tribute to Archbishop Donnellan,” Msgr. Dillon said. “He was instrumental in establishing the quality Catholic education that exists in the archdiocese today.”

Msgr. Dillon assembled the board of trustees. “It consists of people I know from my parish and from the archdiocese who are deeply concerned about the Church and the future of Catholic schools,” said Msgr. Dillon. “They bring a variety of expertise to the table.”

Board members of the Donnellan School include: Dr. Joseph Allegra; Mary Chandler, former principal of Sandy Springs Middle and Riverwood High School; Martin Gatins, consultant for the North Georgia Catholic Foundation; Sister Dawn Gear, GNSH, principal of St. John Neumann Regional School; John Gillin, senior vice president of Coca Cola and parishioner of Holy Spirit Parish; David Hanna, parishioner of Holy Spirit Parish; Frank Hanna, parishioner of All Saints Parish, Dunwoody; Cecile M. Jones, parishioner of the Cathedral of Christ the King, and Msgr. Don Kenny, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

Msgr. Kenny is coordinating the search for the headmaster. The headmaster will report to the board, hire faculty and work with the faculty to attain Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation.

Currently the board of trustees is formulating a mission statement and developing information packets about the school and its curriculum. Applications are not yet available. For further information call Mary Catherine Luedtke, business officer and development director, at 255-0900.