LaSalle College H.S. names new principal

LaSalle College High School in Wyndmoor announced Tuesday that an educator who graduated from the private, Catholic boys school in 1968 will become its next principal on July 1.

Brother Richard Kestler, LaSalle's president, said Michael A. O'Toole will succeed Joseph L. Marchese, who is stepping down in June for health reasons.

O'Toole, currently the principal of Holy Ghost Preparatory School in Bensalem, spent 31 years as a teacher and administrator at LaSalle, including serving as vice president from 2000-2005.

"I am honored to rejoin the community of teachers, students, parents, and alumni at one of the best college-prep schools anywhere," O'Toole said in a statement.

LaSalle said O'Toole was chosen after a six-month national search lead by Benjamin J. Ventresca, chairman of the trustees.

O'Toole earned undergraduate and master's degrees in American civilization at the University of Pennsylvania. He also was a Klingenstein Fellow in Independent School Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University, where he earned a master's degree in education.

Contact staff writer Martha Woodall at 215-854-2789 or martha.woodall@phillynews.com.