Mrs. Mann announced her departure as principal at a community homeroom on Jan. 16, 2019. She will remain in her role until June.

“After prayerful consideration, I submitted my letter of retirement as Head of School for Padua Academy to Reverend Mark Wrightson, Pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish and to Dr. Louis De Angelo, the Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Wilmington,” said Mrs. Mann in a letter sent to Padua families. “This will take effect at the conclusion of my current 2018-19 contract on June 30, 2019.”

Mrs. Mann has worked at Padua for ten years and is credited with largely restructuring the school’s management.

“As you can imagine, this decision was not made lightly. I have spent hours praying – asking for guidance as well as the Lord’s direction for all of the people of Padua and for me at this time in my life,” she said.

The decision to leave was driven primarily by health concerns.

“My energy level is waning,” she said, “but I am confidently turning over our vision for Padua along with the day-to-day operations, to this next generation of Padua leaders.”

The letter states that Father Mark has agreed to restructure the administration to run with a President/Principal model, mirroring Salesianum’s system. Mrs. Mann stated that she has shared names of individuals she recommends for these roles with the Board of Trustees and Father Mark.

“I humbly thank all of you and firmly pledge to continue to keep you in my prayers,” she wrote. “This is not goodbye. This is a time to celebrate the new leaders who will take us into the future.”

Many students knew Mrs. Mann struggled with health issues, and thus the news did not come as a surprise.

“I’m sad to see her go but I think it’s for the best for her. I bet the next principal’s going to be great, but it’s not going to be the same without her.” said sophomore Lucy Salam.

“She definitely was a factor in me coming here because she was so welcoming to us,” said Erin Sentman, a freshman. “She made Padua our home.”