Our Lady of

Victory Catholic School in Tyrone will start afresh with

a new principal and different approach to handling

complaints following the dismissal this week of Nanci

Pearson, who was named principal about a year ago when

the school was under construction.

According

to Monsignor Peter Dora, vicar general of the Catholic

Archdiocese of Atlanta, Pearson was relieved of her

duties because of the way complaints and issues voiced by

parents were handled or not addressed. "It has

nothing to do with character; it had to do with

management," Dora said.

Monsignor

Terry W. Young, secretary of education for the

archdiocese, met with parents at the school Wednesday

night and introduced the new principal, Sallie McQuaid,

who is a former principal of St. John the Evangelist

Catholic School in Hapeville. Dora called McQuaid "a

seasoned professional" who would be the school's

permanent principal.

"We're

moving in a more harmonious direction," he added.

Dora acknowledged that there would be a time of healing

ahead.

Our Lady of

Victory is Fayette County's first Catholic elementary

school. It opened its doors to approximately 200 students

in grades kindergarten through eighth in September. The

school lost about 10 percent of its initial enrollment

early on, Dora said, but recent figures for enrollment

exceed the 200 mark.

The school

draws from the Catholic populations of Fayette, Coweta

and south Fulton counties.