Immaculate High School In Danbury Names Wendy Neil New Head Of School

**News Release Submitted by Immaculate High School**

June 5, 2024

The Immaculate High School Board of Directors, with the support and approval of Diocese of Bridgeport Bishop Frank J. Caggiano, announced the appointment of Wendy Neil to the position of Head of School. Neil has been serving as acting Head of School for the past 10 months.

“During that time, she has impressed all of us, exhibiting excellent leadership, making thoughtful decisions, anticipating and meeting challenges and communicating effectively. After a thorough process conducted by our search committee, the Board unanimously voted for Ms. Neil’s appointment,” said Joseph Draper, chairperson of the Board. "Her enthusiasm about Immaculate is contagious–and she is thoroughly committed to an innovative vision for its future."

Draper recognized Neil for being a practicing Catholic and credited her with helping Immaculate achieve an A+ rating and its ranking as the number one Catholic coed day school in Connecticut.

“I am humbled and excited to lead Immaculate High School. We have amazing families coming from over 25 towns in Connecticut and New York,” Neil said. “Our staff is world class and committed to the success of our outstanding students. I have seen the deep well of support from alumni and friends of Immaculate. I cannot wait to take this next step.”

Neil lives in Redding and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Springfield College. She received her master’s with highest honors from Virginia Polytechnic State University. She began teaching in Fairfax County, Virginia in 1994. She taught history and civics at the junior and high school levels for 20 years after earning her master’s. She taught English to French speaking students in Chambesy, Switzerland during her residency there. She was recruited to Immaculate in 2013 to join our Social Studies Department and was promoted to Principal in 2019. For 30 years, she has been an educator and leader in multiple school environments.

Neil’s term officially begins July 1, 2024.

Immaculate also announced the promotion of longtime teacher Jennifer Gallo of Southbury to the position of Dean of Academics. Gallo has been a history and English teacher at Immaculate since 2021 and holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Iona College plus two master’s degrees from Mercy College/Fordham University–one in literacy specialist and another in school building leadership. Gallo will be coming out of the classroom to focus on developing and supporting the school’s academic programming and instruction.