Jackie Friel
Jaclyn Friel is the Principal at Notre Dame High School in Easton, Pennsylvania, where she leads with vision, dedication, and a commitment to fostering academic and personal growth for all students. She began her career as a teacher, spending 10 years teaching 7th and 8th grade math in middle school. Inspired to expand her impact in education, she earned a master’s degree in education and transitioned into administration, serving as the curriculum director for a public school district covering kindergarten through 12th grade. After 12 years in public education, Jaclyn made a significant shift to the private Catholic school sector, becoming the assistant principal at Notre Dame High School.
After six years as assistant principal, Jaclyn was promoted to principal, a role she has held for the past six years. In addition to overseeing daily operations and supporting faculty, she has embraced new responsibilities, including fundraising for the school’s $14 million capital campaign to build a new facility, which is now three-quarters complete. Jaclyn’s leadership balances strategic vision with hands-on involvement; she finds the most joy greeting students each morning, a daily reminder of the purpose behind her work.
Throughout her career, Jaclyn has consistently demonstrated a passion for education, community engagement, and student success. She values collaboration, mentorship, and creating an environment where students and staff thrive. Under her leadership, Notre Dame High School has continued to excel academically, athletically, and culturally, reflecting her dedication to building a supportive, inspiring, and high-achieving school community.
• Master's degree in Education
• Second Master's degree
• Top Workplace in the area (2 consecutive years)
• NCEA
• National Catholic Educators Association
What do you attribute your success to?
I would say all of the support that I receive every day, whether that's from my family, my friends, my colleagues, or my kids. I'm very lucky to have all of that support around me.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say have confidence. And when you don't, fake it.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think that a challenge for me personally is just guilt. It's a big role to be the leader of a school, and it's a big role to be a single mom. So when I'm here, I feel guilty that I'm not at home. When I'm at home, I feel guilty that I'm not here. So that would be, I would say, one of my biggest challenges personally. But as far as opportunities, again, for my school in particular, there's a lot of room for growth. Our enrollment is growing. As I said, we're in the midst of this campaign where we're raising money and we're building, so continuing that growth is a major goal of mine that I definitely really want to see through.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Kindness. I'm the kind of person that, if nothing else, I hope that my students and my own personal kids see the importance of treating others with kindness.