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Schools

Homecoming sweet for new school head

The incoming leader of Northside Christian School has been there before as elementary teacher and principal.

By DONNA WINCHESTER
Published May 4, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - A St. Petersburg native has been selected as head of school at Northside Christian School.

Mary Brandes, who in 1971 became the first faculty member hired at Northside, will take over July 1 from interim director John Wedlock.

Brandes, 56, was chosen after a five-month national search that attracted hundreds of applicants. The committee narrowed the applicants to five, then invited the top three to the school for interviews.

David Feaster, who headed the search committee, acknowledged the team was looking for a "superwoman."

"It's such a broad job," he said. "At Northside, they have to have a Christian testimony. They then have to have the ability to administer an 800-student school. They need to be able to understand curriculum, and they need to be able to understand finances in depth. They have to have the capacity to raise money and then handle all the moms and dads in the parking lot."

Brandes fit the bill perfectly, Feaster said.

"She's the whole package," he said. "She is an outstanding businessperson, a wonderful speaker and a great administrator with a great Christian heart. We are just so pleased."

Brandes earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Carson Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn., and a master's in education from the University of South Florida.

She was hired as an elementary school teacher at Northside in 1971. In 1976, she took time off to raise her family. While her children attended Northside, she served on the school's board and participated in fundraising. She returned to the faculty as elementary school principal in 1988 and held that job for seven years.

She has worked for Cox Lumber for the past 10 years. She presently serves as executive vice president and assistant secretary of the corporation.

Brandes said that with the help of a strong faculty, she hopes to make Northside Christian the "premier Christian school."

"When I left, I think I went through a two-year mourning period," she said. "Now I see that what I have learned in these 10 years appears to be a very important part of what is needed at the school. Going back is like the sweetest homecoming."

Northside Christian, at 7777 62nd Ave. N, serves about 800 students in pre-K through 12th grade. Tuition ranges from $5,000 to $7,300 a year. The school is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Association of Christian Schools International.

[Last modified May 4, 2005, 00:57:19]