When Bridget Bonner, the newly installed president of Norwood-Fontbonne Academy (NFA), first visited the school’s campus in Chestnut Hill, she kept receiving signs — or, as Bonner calls them, “God winks.”

First, she saw a small garden with a statue of the Blessed Mother erected in memory of Sister Mary Denise Clifford, a member of the Sisters of Saint Joseph congregation who passed away in 2023. Bonner recognized the name: Clifford was her principal in elementary school.

Then, Bonner had an interview with the general council of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, since the congregation sponsors NFA. One of the people she met with was Sister Owen Patricia Bonner. Bridget Bonner recognized that name as well. Coincidentally, her son is named Owen Patrick Bonner.

“I feel like I’m called to this community,” Bonner said in an interview with the Local. “The second I stepped on campus, I felt that this is where I was meant to be and it’s been amazing ever since.”

Bonner began her term as NFA’s president on July 1, and was formally installed on Sept. 25 during a Mass at the Chapel of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart in the Sisters of Saint Joseph Motherhouse.

Educational experience

Catholic education has always been a part of Drexel Hill native Bonner’s life. After receiving a bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s University and a master’s degree from Cabrini College, Bonner began her career in 1999 at St. Norbert School in Paoli. It was at this, her first job, she realized the importance of having a principal who made an impact.

“If you have a good leader, you see what a good leader can do to a community,” Bonner said. [You need] someone who’s strong and supportive and really tries to pull people along.”

Although her experience at St. Norbert was positive, Bonner said she felt a tug to return to an urban area. She then spent time at Imani Charter School in Philadelphia and St. Eugene School in Clifton Heights, before finding a home at Academy of Notre Dame de Namur in Villanova, where she remained for 24 years.

A Catholic community

Since Bonner began her presidency in the middle of the summer, the first few months were spent familiarizing herself with NFA’s history, exploring the campus, and planning for the school year. Then, the school’s 312 students arrived.

“You do all your hard work in the summer and it’s nothing but meetings and adults,” Bonner said. “Then the kids come and it’s a whole different kind of energy. You’re like, ‘Yes, this is what I worked so hard for all summer!’”

Bonner said NFA’s leadership team has been supportive as she adjusted to the new role, because everyone is “rowing in the same direction every time.” From staff to parents to students, everyone pitches in.

“So much of this community is amazing,” Bonner said. “Everyone wears a different hat constantly. … I’ve never worked in a community like this before in my life.”

Bonner said her Catholic faith plays a large role in how she goes about the job. “For anybody who works in Catholic school, I think your faith grounds everything you do. It informs every decision that you make and every connection that you make. … This whole community is called to love their dear neighbor.”

Colleen Kelly Howard, NFA’s director of institutional advancement and a parent of three NFA alumni, echoed the sentiment that faith acts as a guide for Bonner.

“I think leading an independent Catholic school is more of a vocation than just a job,” Howard said. “When I met [Bonner], right away I got the sense that she saw it that way too. She wasn’t just looking for a promotion from her current role, she was really looking for a community where she felt she was called to serve as a leader.”

Planning ahead

Bonner has plenty of ambitious goals for NFA. In addition to increasing enrollment and bolstering the school’s finances, Bonner hopes to constantly innovate the students’ curriculum and extracurricular activities. Bonner said NFA is already a step ahead in this category; the school allows students as young as fourth grade to pick elective classes and features amenities such as a podcasting space. However, Bonner said her approach is consistently self-reflective and forward-thinking: “What are we doing right? What could we do better?”

Bonner also plans to make NFA a “sticky” community. In other words, she wants everyone to feel welcome and the parking lot to be full at every event.

“The common thread from the time I have met [Bonner] is the value she puts on community,” Howard said.

Maggie Dougherty can be reached at Margaret@chestnuthilllocal.com.