Familiar face, new role at St. Agnes

After more than a decade at the St. Agnes Cathedral School in Rockville Centre, Mary Brower took on a new challenge this school year, becoming assistant principal. Last week, Brower reflected on her experience in teaching and administration, and how she and the school have adapted during the pandemic.

Brower, 41, was inspired to pursue a career in education by watching her mother, Patricia Owczarek, who has taught at St. Ann’s, in Garden City, for over 30 years. It wasn’t her original plan — she wanted to be a physical therapist — but, she recalled, sitting in her mother’s classroom with her on off days led to a change of mind. She graduated from Manhattan College with a degree in elementary education in 2002, and earned a master’s from Hofstra the following year.

Brower started her career as a teacher’s assistant and substitute in Rockville Centre’s Hewitt Elementary School before becoming the computer teacher at St. Agnes in 2006. She spent a decade in that role, witnessing a technological leap in which the school went from bulky Mac computers to individual iPads. That transition has been especially important to give students the remote option during the pandemic, as iPads have helped students access textbooks and enhanced teachers’ lesson plans.

In 2016, Brower moved into an administrative role, and served as the technology coordinator until the start of this school year. “Learning the culture and the community over 16 years, and being able to see it from different perspectives, has really helped with the transition to assistant principal,” she said. She cherishes the atmosphere of a religious school, she said, recalling students’ faces lighting up as they discussed their Catholic faith.

“I bring my faith into the decisions I make daily,” Brower said. “And with my family and 9-year-old daughter Emma at home, we talk about Jesus and God and how their philosophy informs every decision you make.” Being able to talk about religion has been especially helpful in difficult times like these, she said, when faith brings hope despite the chaos of today’s world.

The new assistant principal said her long experience at St. Agnes has made her new role a bit easier during the pandemic. A phone call goes a long way, Brower said, in keeping parents updated on the school’s procedures.

When she was introduced with her new title at the school’s open house in November, Brower recounted, she couldn’t hold back some tears of joy. “I got really emotional, because it was really obvious that this was where I wanted to be,” she said. “Being in front of the whole community, it felt like home.” She had worked hard, encouraged by Principal Cecilia St. John, in pursuing the assistant principal’s job, and earned an advanced certificate in school leadership from Molloy College in 2020.

“The heart, soul, love and faith that she brings into St. Agnes has been wonderful,” Brower said of St. John. “She has been my rock here, and was the reason I started pursuing my administration degree.”