Candace Tamposi, principal at Sacred Heart School in Lake Worth,
surrounded by students. Previously, she was development director
at Rosarian Academy, then principal at St. Ann Catholic School in West Palm Beach.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Candace Tamposi, principal of Sacred Heart School in Lake Worth, knew she was going to be a principal when she was in high school.
“My grandmother and her sister and brother were educators,” she said. “And my mother was an educator. I just followed in their footsteps.”
Tamposi hails from Nashua, N.H., and now lives in Ocean Ridge. She began her career teaching kindergarten and third grade in Sun Valley, Idaho. She moved to Crystal River in 1981 with her family and took up a career in real estate development from 1981 to 1992. She returned to education after receiving her master’s in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University. Her first principal’s position came at St. Ann Catholic School in West Palm Beach in 1992. She moved to Sacred Heart School in 2001, where she became principal two years later.
Sacred Heart’s student population is around 250 and accommodates grades pre-K to eight. It has a benefactor-funded Montessori Academy.
“Grades one through eight are co-ed,” Tamposi said. “The school has been here since 1944. The parish was founded by the Jesuits 100 years ago. Sacred Heart has set the bar very high in terms of technology. We’re an older school, but we’re completely renovated, top to bottom. And with that, we want to give the children a leading edge by using state-of-the-art technology from the ground up.”
Most of the school’s textbooks are electronic, she said, yet it retains the essence of “a true Catholic school blended education,” combining the latest in technology with the hands-on care of a traditional school.
“We have everything from a recording studio that includes the technology needed to write and record music with live instruments, to a TV station, to iPads in all grades,” Tamposi said. “This year we’re going to build a basketball, sports and music pavilion. We break ground on that in September.”
One might think a school such as this would enroll only financially privileged students.
Not so, Tamposi said.
“Many of our children are low income and can get in through various scholarships,” she said. “And we have a whole program for children with learning differences. We look at Lake Worth and the community and have created a very special environment and a very inclusive environment. We also have a program for gifted children. Our graduates go to some of the area’s very best high schools ... then on to the best colleges, studying to be attorneys, engineers, doctors. We look at Sacred Heart as the school of the future.”
— Steven J. Smith
Q. Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A. I grew up in Nashua, N.H., and went to Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, then on to the University of New Hampshire. My Catholic education had a huge impact on my goals, and it was always my dream to be a school principal.
Q. What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
A. I was in real estate development for a while, but education is my home. Sacred Heart School almost failed six years ago, when the economy fell. We were close to closing our doors and were given only six weeks to turn things around. My pastor, Joseph Papes, and I made an appeal to the community and redesigned our vision for the school to be inclusive of children with learning differences and to allow children from low income and multicultural environments to come to a good school. We partnered with the state of Florida to step up McCabe Scholarships and we renovated our classrooms and started our campaign to build our new pavilion. It was the largest commitment I ever made and we turned the school around.
Q. How did you choose to make your home in Ocean Ridge?
A. I used to live on the island of Palm Beach. I was so impressed driving down the coast along A1A and saw this little tiny community where you could get a beautiful home on the water that you could never afford in Palm Beach.
Q. What is your favorite part about living in Ocean Ridge?
A. I live a block from the beach. It’s a pristine, beautiful community, with no commercial development. It’s a spectacular, best-kept secret. And I’ve watched it grow. I’ve enjoyed raising my children here, and my husband and I recently moved into the Yacht Club, which we love.
Q. Did you ever get called to the principal’s office when you were in school? And what did you learn from it?
A. I was a hellion in school. I went to an all-girl Catholic school. My biggest offense was I didn’t like to wear my skirts below my knee, so I would roll them up. The sisters were opposed to uniform violations, so I got in trouble for that. I was on a four-year academic scholarship, so they always reminded me I needed to walk the line — or else!
Q. What book are you reading now?
A. I just started The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins. I hope it’s good! My daughter, who lives in Los Angeles, and I are reading it at the same time. I recently finished The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt, which I couldn’t put down.
Q. What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax?
A. I love all kinds of music. My daughter, Ali Tamposi, is a songwriter. She co-wrote What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger) for Kelly Clarkson and got a Grammy nomination for that. So I’ve been a huge fan of music forever. Everything from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young to rap to contemporary to jazz to symphonic. Even marching bands!
Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions?
A. “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” — Nelson Mandela
Q. Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A. When I first came to St. Ann, I met a woman named Sister Carolyn Dowd, who is now celebrating 55 years of teaching and recently celebrated her 78th birthday. She’s still working with me. We’ve worked together for 25 years. She keeps me in check and doesn’t let me get away with murder! She makes sure I stay focused and on track.
Q. If your life story were made into a movie, who would you want to play you?
A. How about Meryl Streep? I think she can do anything.
Comments