Meet our principal!

"This is absolutely where I am supposed to be!"  declared Sister Georgianna Coonis, SND, Resurrection School's principal as she sat in her school office.  In 2003, Sister Georgi replaced Virginia Mirrione, who retired,  as principal of Resurrection School.  Sister Georgianna, or more affectionately known as Sister Georgi, shared a bit of personal history as she embarked on yet another aspect of her illustrious career in the field of education.

Raised in Southern California as the eldest of five children, Sr. Georgi attended Catholic schools, and in her late teens decided to enter the convent and the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur order.  Years later she is still devoted to her faith, her order, and her firm belief in the values and strength of a Catholic education.

Sr. Georgi spent 13 years teaching elementary level grades at several schools in California, Hawaii and Washington state.  She then served as principal for 10 years at Notre Dame Catholic school in Santa Barbara.  Ironically, she recently found out that early on in her tenure as a second grade teacher at Sacred Heart School in Salinas, she had a Resurrection parent as a student.

Not only is she comfortable with the elementary level age group, she also co-founded the Office of Alcohol and Drug Education at the University of San Diego and spent three years dedicated to this effort turning it into a nationally recognized program.

East Palo Alto has been home to Sister Georgi for the past ten years as she coordinated the I Have A Dream Program founded by Stanford Graduate School of Business students back in 1992.  Peter Dumanian, co-founder of the program, stated, "We originally started working with the Dreamers when they were third and fourth graders at Flood elementary school in 1992.  Through Sr. Georgi's dedication and focus on academic achievement, plus her nurturing, warm and caring spirit, all of the 72 Dreamers graduated from high school in a community where traditionally only 50% graduate.  Seventy-five percent of the Dreamers are in college and the remainder are in the military or working.  We are very proud of this accomplishment and owe it primarily to Sr. Georgi's direct efforts." 

One can tell when speaking to Sr. Georgi about the I Have A Dream program, that it holds a very special place in her heart.  As a mother speaks about her children, Sr. Georgi speaks about her 72 adopted children, with fondness, and loving care.

When asked why she wanted to return to education and administration, she replied, "I love kids, and a Catholic education is a special gift.  My hope is that in having a Catholic education every child knows who their God is, and that they understand how much God loves them, because of how much they are loved in this community."

"At this time in our nation's history, the values of peace and social justice must be experienced and lived out in our schools.  It is only if we can help our children realize that peace can happen will they be able to make changes in our world.  My belief is that a Catholic community can help children and their families move closer to the values that are needed to live out the gospel in today's world."

For the upcoming year Sr. Georgi plans on visiting the classrooms daily, getting to know the students, work with the teachers, evaluate the program, and continue to build upon the very strong community of students, staff and families already inherent at Resurrection school.

"My goals are that as a Catholic school, we walk with the parents.   These children are the most important people in the lives of our parents.  They are entrusted to us, not just for an education but to care for them, to provide a foundation in their faith, and to help develop and shape them into the best person they can be."