New principal brings Catholic education expertise to Saint Brendan School

Saint Brendan's is welcoming its new principal, Philip Gorrasi, for the upcoming 2013-14 school year.Gorrasi, who worked for the Archdiocese of New York in a career that spanned 31 years, has now made the move down to Florida.Gorrasi’s long career in Catholic education began with a job as an elementary teacher. He later became the district superintendent for the Westchester/Putnam Counties in 2003 and the Associate Superintendent for Mission Effectiveness for the Archdiocese of New York in 2010. As the associate superintendent, Gorrasi supervised the religion program for all Catholic schools in the archdiocese.In his new position as Saint Brendan principal, Gorrasi is making a return to the classroom. Gorrasi has wanted to revisit the school setting for years and chose Saint Brendan’s because of the school’s unique and welcoming community.“Saint Brendan’s has been an important part of the Ormond Beach community for 50 years, and I want to help continue that legacy,” he said.Gorrasi plans to uphold Saint Brendan’s commitment to excellence in education by understanding what the community wants for its school.“I plan on looking at what we have, what we do and what the hopes of the community are and then working with the pastor and faculty to create a plan for the growth and stability of the school.”Gorrasi, who has been a principal at four different schools, believes that his most important quality as a principal is his care for the students."I bring a love of children, a love for Catholic education and a desire to do what's best for the children."