Head of School Welcome

Sunday, March 30, 2025

Dear students, families, faculty, alumnae, and friends of Mount St. Dominic Academy,

I am absolutely delighted to join your community as Mount St. Dominic’s Head of School. In a particular way, I am grateful to the Mount St. Dominic Board of Trustees, members of the Head of School Search Committee, and all those who welcomed me to campus in February for your hospitality, candor, and insights. 

When I first learned about this opportunity, I called a dear friend of mine who is an MSDA alumna from the Class of 2005. I asked about her experience as a student at the Mount, and she shared with me an acronym that was frequently used during her high school years: IALAC, short for “I am lovable and capable.” This short yet profound statement sparked my excitement about the Mount! “IALAC” reflects the truth that, with great intentionality, God calls each of us into existence to love and to be loved, and to share our unique gifts with the world.

Over the last several months, I have had the great pleasure of meeting Mount St. Dominic faculty, staff, parents, and alumnae who are committed to cultivating and celebrating the unique gifts of every young woman at the Mount. Your enthusiasm and gratitude for MSDA has permeated all our conversations, and I am so delighted to join you in this mission to form young women in truth and in charity.

Of course, I am especially excited to get to know the young women who animate the Mount—to learn more about your joys and struggles, your aspirations and fears, and the ways in which you hope to shape the world ahead of you.

After having met the Dominican Friars for the first time in New Haven, CT, one of my hopes has always been to share the great intellectual and spiritual tradition of the Order of Preachers! For almost two decades, I have been blessed by the sincere friendship, rigorous thinking, and thoughtful guidance of many Dominican friars, sisters, and laypeople, and I am thrilled to embrace this leadership role within a Dominican institution. I extend my sincere gratitude to the Dominican Sisters of Caldwell for their foresight in establishing Mount St. Dominic Academy and for their generosity and diligence in upholding the school’s great mission and legacy.

I am excited about the great things God has in store for us at the Mount, and I am looking forward to pursuing them together very soon! 

Sincerely yours,

 

 

Juliette M. Picciano