Leadership
Brigid McClelland
Principal
Brigid McClelland has many years of teaching and administrative experience in Catholic and public schools. Brigid believes strongly in equity and inclusion for all students in Catholic schools, as we are made in the image and likeness of God, and stronger together because we are made for each other.
After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish/Political Science from Knox College, she taught Spanish and ESL as a Teaching Fellow in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). Receiving a scholarship from the University of Illinois-Chicago led to Brigid earning a Masters of Education in Instructional Leadership-English as a Second Language. During this time, she also managed a portfolio of 86 CPS elementary and high schools to ensure equity in instructional compliance for English Language learners.
However, her upbringing in Catholic schools was calling and Brigid moved to Minneapolis in 2015 to serve as Dean of 9th Grade Student Achievement at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School-Twin Cities, and as Dean of Students at St. John Paul II School.
Brigid returned to Philadelphia in 2019 to be closer to family and joined the IMS family as Assistant Principal of St. Thomas Aquinas School in the Point Breeze neighborhood from March-June 2021. Brigid helped oversee the closure of sister school St. Gabriel’s before being named Principal of SS. Cyril & Philomena in June 2021.
Most recently, Brigid was a member of the 19th cohort of the Alliance of Catholic Education’s Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program, and received a Masters of Arts in Educational Administration from the University of Notre Dame in July 2022.
