Per the message sent out to the Xavier community, “Xavier High School is pleased to announce the appointment of Ann Drewry as the school’s Interim Dean of Students. Ms. Drewry brings more than two decades of leadership experience in Catholic education to Xavier, most recently serving as Principal of Student Life at Mercy High School in Middletown. As Interim Dean of Students, Drewry will oversee student affairs and discipline, faculty support, curriculum development, and the continued growth of the school community. In this role, she will work closely with faculty, staff, students, and families to foster an environment of mutual respect, academic excellence, and holistic development. These are core to Xavier’s mission as an all-boys Catholic college preparatory school. Drewry holds a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Siena College. Beyond her work on campus, she has served on visiting committees for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and is a current board member at St. John Paul II School.”
We interviewed Ms. Drewry to get more information.
What made you want to get into education?
“I come from a very large family and most of them are educators in the public school system or at the collegiate level. My father was an adjunct English teacher so that’s all I saw growing up, and once it was time for me to decide my destiny, I said, ‘I love working with people.’ I also love making a difference in people’s lives. I know school did not come easy for me. I had to work hard at it with good intentions. To be able to help other students meet their goals and lead happy, successful lives was something very enticing to me.”
What is your favorite part about your job?
“My favorite part of my job is when I’m working with a student who does not see the potential within them. And over time, they slowly recognize what they’re good at, that they’re more than whether it be an athlete, if that’s how they’re known…or just the little brother of somebody who came through Xavier before them, and that they’re their own unique person, and when they grow into themselves and are confident.”
What are some differences and similarities coming from Mercy to Xavier?
“All the students at Mercy are girls, and all the students at Xavier are boys, but both schools are rooted very deeply in faith and relationships, and there is a tremendous commitment to the formation of young people, which the world needs more of. I would say the difference so far between boys and girls, seemingly, is that there is less drama. Boys are very much more up front and forthcoming.”
If you could change one thing about your job, what would it be?
“One thing about my job, I think that students understand that rules in regulations and discipline need to exist within any infrastructure, any institution. Otherwise, it would be mayhem. There must be some sort of order and that that is helping to create a safe environment for everybody, whether it be physically, mentally, or emotionally. It is not the intent of a disciplinarian to make students’ lives miserable. It is quite the opposite. It is to just ensure that everybody has a safe environment to grow, to learn, and to explore their faith. A lot of students see it that way. I don’t know the answer to that, but I know being in high school, before I recognized the true intent of the people around me, the teachers, and the administrators who helped me, I didn’t understand tough love. And 25 years into education, now I realize that all of those actions to correct behaviors that could be self-sabotaging or harmful to those around us, it’s just tough love to shape us all into better people and so we could become strong, faithful servants of God, and live a happy and fruitful life.”
What are you most excited about at Xavier this year?
“To continue to build off the relationships that I have already started to build here. There’s a building filled with people with different personalities, gifts, and talents that I have not yet been able to explore. Those people are out there, and I get to learn about them and hopefully befriend them and be an important part of their lives and vice versa. This truly does excite me.”
Please join us in welcoming Ms. Drewry into our community.