Catholic education has always been a passion of MaryAlice Bagwell. And now she is right where she wants to be, recently appointed as the principal of Mary Queen of Angels Catholic School, located at 170 Rosewood Terrace.

While a stay at home mom, Bagwell would substitute teach here and there.

“It was a great job to have because if your children were sick, or in my case if I had a military obligation, I could take my name off of the sub list,” said Bagwell. “That’s how I started. I have an older sister that has been a teacher her whole professional career, so that probably influenced me as well.”

When her kids were at a good age, Bagwell decided to go back to school and work on the teaching certificate program.

At the time her husband was active military in the army and stationed at Fort Shafter in Hawaii. Bagwell began her journey in paradise, obtaining the certificate from the University of Hawaii. While there she gained experience as a kindergarten aide, teaching religion and art.

They came back to Buffalo and Bagwell earned her master of science in education degree from Canisius College. She was hired as a librarian at Infant of Prague and then became a third grade teacher upon completion of the New York State Teaching Certification program. When the school closed, Bagwell taught second grade at St. Benedicts and then was hired to head Mary Queen of Angels.

Bagwell wanted to become a principal because even as a teacher she thought that there had to be a more entertaining and more interesting way of doing things. As more and more catholic schools were closing around Western New York, Bagwell determined that now more than ever the educational system needed more vibrant administrators interested in keeping the remaining catholic schools open.

“My hope is that Mary Queen of Angels will become a thriving, contributing member to our community that is looked upon with respect and admiration and is a place where families are excited about sending their children to school,” said Bagwell.

In just a few months, Bagwell has already given the school a face-lift with paint, installed new glass block windows and updated the landscaping. She also helped install a flagpole, as she feels it is important for the students to have a patriotic symbol on the grounds, and will have the first playground at the school completed in October.

“In the future, I would like to get Mary Queen of Angels’ name out in the community so more people are aware of us,” said Bagwell. “I’d like to make sure that we have a strong presence in the community and that we are doing a lot of service projects in the community to try to help the children become better citizens of the world.”

---

Tell Us what You Think: