By ERIKA ANDERSON

Staff Writer

Mary Reiling Photo by Michael Alexander

ATLANTA--It has always been Mary Reiling’s dream to start a Catholic school from the ground up.

Named as principal of Holy Redeemer Elementary School, which is scheduled to open in northeast Fulton County for the 1999-2000 school year, Reiling’s dreams are coming true.

A native of Cleveland, she has over 20 years’ experience in education, serving as a junior high school teacher for 11 years, as principal of St. Leo’s School in Fairfax, Va., for three years and as principal of the Gesu School in Cleveland for the past five years. She moved to Atlanta a few weeks ago.

Although it was hard to leave Cleveland, she is excited to be involved in the growth of Catholic education in Atlanta.

Reiling completed a $5 million building project at Gesu, a Jesuit school, and served as the principal when the school won the National School of Excellence Award twice--the only school in the Diocese of Cleveland to do so. She also raised the money to fly her 46 faculty members to Washington, D.C., for the presentation of the award.

While she was principal, the enrollment increased from 500 to 800, a preschool was opened and the school was wired for voice, data and cable. However, Reiling said that the opportunity in Atlanta was significant for her personally and professionally.

“I love Catholic education because I believe that it works. I had the experience running schools that were tremendous, but coming to Atlanta gives me the opportunity to go somewhere that is really growing,” she said. “It’s exciting to take on new challenges and to start something from the ground up.”

Reiling was also attracted to the spirit of the archdiocese.

“For such a young diocese, there is such a strong, wonderful, adventurous spirit that I love,” she said.

A former Religious, she received her bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame College in Cleveland in 1977 and a master’s degree in religious studies from St. Charles Seminary in Philadelphia in 1989. In 1993 she received a master’s in educational administration from the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio. Reiling holds a principal’s certificate and an assistant superintendent’s certificate.

Since her arrival in Atlanta, Reiling said that she is on a “fact-finding mission.”

“Right now, I am just trying to meet the people and pastors, learn about the archdiocese and become familiar with everything,” she said. “We’re also developing policies, handbooks, curriculums and will be at the construction site with our hard hats.”

A regional school rather than a parish school, Holy Redeemer will serve 500 students in kindergarten through eighth grade and will be located on Old Alabama Road near Haynes Bridge Road. Nearby parishes include St. Thomas Aquinas, Alpharetta, the Church of St. Benedict and St. Monica’s Church in Duluth, St. Andrew’s Church in Roswell, Mary Our Queen Mission in Norcross and All Saints Church in Dunwoody.

Reiling hopes to add her own ideas to what she considers an already excellent school system.

“I bring a lot of experience, a love of elementary schools and a commitment to Catholic education,” she said. “I also hopefully bring fresh ideas that can be integrated with the strengths of what the archdiocese has already. I am excited to build the faith community and maintain the high standards that Catholic schools already have.”