St. Jane de Chantal honors retired principal, Betsy Hamilton, for sharing religion, enjoyable and kindness with generations of scholars

During her longtime service because the principal at St. Jane de Chantal School in Bethesda, Betsy Hamilton appreciated to say, “The fun never stops at De Chantal.”

That motto might be seen on June 4, 2025 – two days earlier than the final day of the varsity 12 months – as Hamilton greeted college students arriving on the college, together with fourth graders dressed up as characters from Greek mythology as a part of a category mission.

Hamilton posed for a photograph with a lady portraying Medusa who wore a headpiece adorned with plastic snakes. The principal signed a yearbook for a boy sporting a winged helmet who was dressed as Mercury, the messenger of the gods.

Another boy portraying Odysseus, the wandering hero of the Trojan War, walked in class sporting a helmet and armor. The college students sporting makeshift togas and different costumes and equipment portrayed Hercules, Pandora with a field, and Athena, the goddess of knowledge. A boy portraying Dionysus, the god of wine, carried a bottle, and one other boy dressed as Poseidon, the god of the ocean, had a pretend beard and held a trident.

“There really is something special about this place,” Hamilton mentioned in a later interview.

At the tip of June, she retired after serving because the principal of St. Jane de Chantal School for the previous 37 years. She was a primary grader within the pioneer class when the varsity opened in 1953 in a white stucco farmhouse, staffed by the Sisters of Charity from Greensburg, Pennsylvania, who wore distinctive bonnets and capes.

“It was like ‘Little House on the Prairie,’” Hamilton mentioned. She was a member of De Chantal’s first graduating class in 1961, and continued to reside within the neighborhood after her marriage. Betsy Hamilton despatched her 4 kids to the varsity, and after serving as a dad or mum volunteer, she returned to her alma mater as a kindergarten trainer for a 12 months, after which taught first grade for 5 years.

After changing into the varsity’s first lay principal in 1988, she mentioned, “I remember walking down the halls in pigtails, going on errands. Now I have the keys to this place. It’s unbelievable.”

In her first 12 months as principal, St. Jane de Chantal was named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. When De Chantal earned its second Blue Ribbon School honor in 2011, Hamilton and members of the varsity’s college and workers wore matching blue derby hats and blue boas and carried out a dance routine on the varsity’s stage to the basic rock anthem, “We are the Champions,” by Queen.

On May 31, about 400 alumni, mother and father and present and former college, workers and college students gathered on the parish corridor at St. Jane de Chantal to honor the retiring principal and rejoice her legacy there. Fans with Hamilton’s smiling portrait got to the visitors, which maybe was becoming, as a result of they had been her followers, and for practically 4 a long time, she has been the face of the varsity.

Speaking on the celebration, Father Samuel Giese, St. Jane’s pastor, famous, “Catholic education has been her vocation from God, lived in our midst in the halls and classrooms (here) and in conferences with parents.”

Pointing out how Pope Leo XIV’s journey to grow to be pope started at his Catholic college, the priest praised Hamilton for making ready generations of De Chantal college students for all times, sharing information, love and religion in God with them.

He introduced that as a particular present, the parish was presenting her with tickets to the Broadway musical “Hamilton,” together with resort lodging in New York City. She and her two daughters later loved that musical concerning the founding father who shares their identify.

The crowd gathered there gave her a standing ovation.

In an interview that night, Father Giese mentioned, “I think what is most impressive about her is her knowledge about each and every child who has come into the school. She knows them, and she knows their families… There’s no one (among the students and graduates) not known by her, loved by her and appreciated by her.”

Another speaker, John Nalls – a De Chantal graduate who despatched his 4 kids there – thanked Hamilton for seeing the potential in each baby, particularly college students who had been shy or struggling. “From the first day of kindergarten to eighth grade graduation, you’ve been a guiding presence… Thank you for your leadership, love and faith. You will forever be a part of the fabric of the place,” he mentioned.

During this system, Hamilton was additionally thanked for instilling a love of studying in college students, and for uplifting some graduates and fogeys to show on the college.

Her son Tim Hamilton, a 1984 De Chantal graduate who now works for the Maryland Park Service, famous how his mom took night lessons at The Catholic University of America to earn her grasp’s diploma in counseling and management there.

“When she became principal, mom’s role expanded from four kids to 500,” he mentioned. Addressing mother and father on the gathering, he added, “She was proud, worried, happy, sad and hurt for each of your kids.”

Tim Hamilton mentioned that as principal, his mom cared about “imparting students with the same values taught by the Sisters of Charity… The soul of De Chantal is still the same as it was.”

Praising the influence that his mother had on her college students, he mentioned, “Thousands of people out there are kinder and better because of how you shaped them.”

Betsy Hamilton’s different three kids embrace Katie Shaffer, a useful resource trainer at Holy Cross School in Garrett Park, and Mary Beth McLoughlin, a fourth grade trainer at St. Elizabeth School in Rockville. The retired principal’s youngest son, Patrick Hamilton, works as a playwright in New York City. Just as her 4 kids did, eight of Betsy Hamilton’s 10 grandchildren attended St. Jane de Chantal School.

“We came here because it was home to us,” mentioned Mary Beth McLoughlin, noting that she and her siblings additionally obtained their sacraments at St. Jane de Chantal, together with baptisms as infants and weddings as adults.

Katie Shaffer mentioned the spirit of enjoyable and pleasure on the college, and its emphasis on kindness, replicate their mom’s influence over the previous 4 a long time. She added, “I think De Chantal is my mom. She’s been here forever.”

Catholic college principals on the gathering praised Betsy Hamilton as a buddy and mentor.

“She is the gold standard. She always puts children first,” mentioned Lisa Maio Kane, the principal of Holy Cross School.

Mary Penny, the principal of St. Elizabeth School, famous, “She has been a mentor and friend to all, and she inspires us to keep going.”

The new principal at St. Jane de Chantal School, Catie Skibo, beforehand served because the assistant principal and taught there for 12 years, together with because the kindergarten trainer. In an interview, she praised Hamilton for her love of scholars, her persistence and for the way she listened to college students.

“She gives all of herself to the school. I want to emulate that,” Skibo mentioned, additionally noting the worth that Hamilton positioned on the varsity’s traditions. “She lives down the street. She’s not far. I can stop by every day (for advice).”

Other visitors on the parish celebration famous Hamilton’s private strategy to her work. Jenny Graham, a De Chantal graduate who despatched her two kids to the varsity and now serves as a kindergarten aide and runs the cafeteria there, mentioned Hamilton made each baby really feel particular, and stood by the varsity’s entrance door every morning to greet them by identify.

Anna Owens, who taught third grade there, mentioned, “She always saw the best in each kid.”

Kevin Dorn, a 2004 De Chantal graduate who now works as a lawyer, famous that his mom died of most cancers when he was an eighth grader there, and his youthful sister was a seventh grader and a youthful brother was a sixth grader. “Mrs. Hamilton and the parish here were so generous and caring to me and my family. It meant everything to us,” he mentioned.

The Catholic schooling he obtained there, he mentioned, emphasised the significance of getting “respect and love for others, and giving back to the community.” That impressed him to function a trainer at Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda.

Later in an interview on June 10 after the 2024-25 college ended and as she was finishing her work as De Chantal’s principal, Hamilton sat in one of many two giant rocking chairs in her workplace, the place over time she had met with college students despatched there.

“That’s what I’ll miss the most, the kids,” she mentioned.

Also displayed within the workplace had been three handbells from the Sisters of Charity.

In current years, Hamilton and a pupil sitting within the rocking chairs in her workplace offered morning bulletins by what they referred to as “The Morning Show,” which was transmitted from a laptop computer on a YouTube channel to each classroom.

Just because the Sisters of Charity did, she began and ended every college day by praying with college students. She continued the sisters’ devotion to their foundress, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, who pioneered the Catholic college system on this nation. The college’s courtyard features a statue of that saint who 50 years in the past grew to become the primary American to be canonized.

When requested if she felt blessed to have been linked to St. Jane de Chantal School for all these years, first as a pupil, then as a dad or mum, trainer and because the principal, Hamilton mentioned, “I do. I always have.”

She famous how, on the day earlier than the final day of faculty, “Everybody wore pink, because that’s my favorite color.”

Hamilton, who wore pink simply as she had on the earlier parish celebration honoring her, was given a pink hat and pink slippers. Students from every grade learn tributes to her and gave her flowers, and pink lemonade was served. The college’s choir sang the normal Irish blessing.

Then the entire college group stood on the turf discipline, standing within the form of a coronary heart for a bunch picture. And standing and smiling on the heart was Betsy Hamilton, who was praised by Father Giese on the parish celebration for “keeping the faith alive and strong in the heart of Bethesda, and wherever students go.”