Holy Family High School’s new principal Matthew Hauptly told the school community he has an open door and an open heart.
“And I look forward to working with everyone here,” he said.
Hauptly, who is the current director of curriculum and staff development, has worked at the Broomfield high school for six years. He will succeed the interim principal Michael G. Gabriel July 1.
After taking his new position, Hauptly said it’s his priority to foster the Catholic identity of the school.
“The primary thing is to constantly work on improving the Catholic identity and faith formation of the school,” Hauptly told the Denver Catholic. “Right now Holy Family is in a great place in that we have a waiting list and the school is full.”
For the 2015-2016 school year, Holy Family has 640-enrolled students. Hauptly added he wants to make the school’s strong Catholic education more accessible to youth in the community.
A letter from interim superintendent Mary Cohen of the Office of Catholic Schools announced Hauptly was chosen for his education philosophy, academic credentials and experience in secondary education.
Hauptly earned a bachelor’s degree in English and History from St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y. and a J.D. from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Hauptly hails from Washington, D.C., and moved to Colorado in 1996 to “be a ski bum,” he said. He skied and lived in Aspen for five years. He taught at a boarding school in New Hampshire and taught for seven years at Roaring Fork High School in Carbondale. He went on to study law at the University of Colorado at Boulder and earned his degree in 2011.
Even while studying, Hauptly said he knew he wanted to teach. During law school, he began to teach at Holy Family. He started as an English teacher and then taught a society and law class for five years. The school later named him head of the department. Last year, he became director of curriculum and instruction.
Hautply is married to his wife, Eleanor, of three years. They welcomed their son, Augustus, three months ago. He and his family attend Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Boulder.
