The anonymous donation to West Hartford’s Northwest Catholic High School is in honor of five former educators at the school.

Submitted by James Drzewiecki, Northwest Catholic

Northwest Catholic High School is honored to announce it has received an anonymous donation of $626,000 in support of endowed scholarships. This leadership gift has been made in recognition of five former Northwest Catholic educators and their meritorious contributions to Catholic education. The funds will establish two new scholarships and augment three existing ones.

The new honorees are Dr. Michael Griffin, who served as a teacher, principal, and president of Northwest Catholic and Señora Ana Barrett, a retired Spanish teacher and former World Languages department chair.

The gift will also increase existing scholarships named in honor of Mrs. Margaret Williamson, former vice principal, principal, and president of Northwest Catholic; Mr. Ron Swanson, a retired Latin and social studies teacher and former athletics coach; and the late Mr. Paul Reardon, a beloved English teacher. Collectively, these five educators dedicated nearly 200 years of service to the students and families of Northwest Catholic.

“This transformative gift will have an immediate impact in providing needed scholarship opportunities for generations of Northwest Catholic students,” said school President Michael Clark. “These scholarships make for a touching tribute to five extraordinary Northwest Catholic educators. We are both grateful and proud of them!”

Endowed scholarships, funded with a minimum gift of $50,000, provide a permanent investment that generates an annual scholarship for one or more students at Northwest Catholic.  With this latest gift, the school now boasts 40 endowed scholarships as funded through the generosity of sustaining benefactors.

“Northwest Catholic High School is so fortunate to receive such a generous donation to its endowment fund that rightfully honors five educators and administrators whose tenures at Northwest defined an era,” said Patrick Williamson, Director of Advancement at Northwest Catholic. “Combined, Mike, Ana, Ron, Margie, and Paul dedicated so much to the students and families at Northwest Catholic. Thousands of our students are fortunate to have had their lives shaped in some way by these pillars of NWC.”

Inquiries about establishing a named scholarship may be directed to Mr. Patrick Williamson, Director of Advancement, at [email protected].

From left: Director of Advancement Patrick Williamson, Margaret Williamson, and Northwest Catholic President Michael J. Clark. Courtesy photo

From left: Director of Advancement Patrick Williamson, Ron Swanson, and Northwest Catholic President Michael J. Clark. Courtesy photo

From left: Director of Advancement Patrick Williamson, Jane Reardon, and Northwest Catholic President Michael J. Clark. Courtesy photo

From left: Director of Advancement Patrick Williamson, Michael Griffin, and Northwest Catholic President Michael J. Clark. Courtesy photo

From left: Director of Advancement Patrick Williamson, Ana Barrett, and Northwest Catholic President Michael J. Clark. Courtesy photo

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