Mrs. Jill (Behme) Conaway has been named as the principal of Saint Paul School in Kensington, effective July 1, 2021.

Mrs. Conaway comes to Saint Paul School from Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary School in Sun Prairie, WI where she has served as the Associate Principal and Development Director for the past 16 years.

Mrs. Conaway is a Connecticut native having grown up in Wallingford and a graduate of Holy Trinity School. She is also a proud alumna of Mercy High School in Middletown. She received her BA in Elementary Education from Marquette University in Milwaukee and her MA in Elementary Education from Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin. Jill is married to her husband Robert and has three children aged 17 to 29 years old.

“I feel so blessed to be serving as the next Principal of St. Paul School! I look forward to being an integral part of such a vibrant community of students, parents, school and parish staff,” said Mrs. Conaway.

In addition to teaching at St. Rose School in Meriden before it closed, she has served in administrative roles in Catholic schools in the Diocese of Madison in Wisconsin. She was the Admissions and Marketing Director for Edgewood High School of the Sacred Heart for six years until 2006. Since then she has served at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary School, which was founded in 1892 and has in excess of 400 students in grades Pre K3 through 8.

“Saint Paul School is truly blessed to have a person of Jill's personal and professional qualifications as our next principal. Her dedication to her own faith and the role of a Catholic education will serve our students and their families very well.  Her breadth of experience will likewise draw out what is best in our school and each student and also help us meet the ever new challenges that always lie ahead,” said Fr. Benicewicz.

In a letter to members of St. Paul Parish, Fr. Benicewicz stated that Mrs. Conaway’s experience “will help her to build on the strong academic and co‑curricular programs that Saint Paul School offers and assist our dedicated faculty to excel in caring for all aspects of each student.” He also noted that Mrs. Conaway’s work in the areas of enrollment management, development, and budgeting will help ensure the school's future for generations to come.