Dr. Stephanie Macaluso has been appointed Principal of Bethlehem Catholic High School, effective Monday, Nov. 2. A Catholic educator for more than 30 years, Macaluso spent eight years as principal of Paramus Catholic High School in New Jersey, where enrollment grew 40% during her tenure.
Macaluso succeeds Dr. Dean Donaher, who has led Bethlehem Catholic since 2023. Donaher will remain at the school as Director of Development through the end of the 2026-27 school year, focusing on fundraising and supporting a smooth leadership transition.
“Dr. Macaluso knows how to enrich a Catholic high school — in academics, and in care for students and teachers,” said Dr. Michael St. Pierre, superintendent of Catholic education for the Diocese of Allentown. “Bethlehem Catholic has made significant progress in campus ministry, student wellness, and student support under Dr. Donaher, and she is the right leader to advance its mission of Catholic education in its second century.”
At Paramus Catholic, Macaluso led a school of nearly 900 students and more than 150 employees. She established the Continuing the Mission hardship fund to help families afford tuition, introduced math and writing labs and peer tutoring, launched a mentorship program for first- and second-year teachers, improved Advanced Placement pass rates, and managed the school’s reaccreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. In 2020, she added wellness to the school’s guiding pillars of faith, academics, and security, prioritizing mental health for students, faculty, and parents. She received the Paramus Catholic Legacy Award for Education and Leadership in 2024.
“This opportunity is truly an honor and a blessing,” Macaluso said. “Every decision we make as Catholic educators should ultimately serve students’ growth in faith and their overall success. I look forward to working with Bethlehem Catholic’s faculty, staff, students, and families to strengthen the school’s Catholic mission and build a culture where faith is lived each day, not simply taught.”
Macaluso began her career teaching science at Catholic elementary and high schools in New Jersey. She joined Paramus Catholic in 2000 as a biology teacher and dean of students, became vice principal in 2012, and led the school from 2017 to 2025, serving as both president and principal for most of that time. Since 2025, she has served as dean of academics at St. Francis Cathedral School in Metuchen.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Saint Elizabeth University, a master’s degree in administration and supervision in education from Seton Hall University, and a doctorate in educational leadership and supervision from Saint Elizabeth. Macaluso began her own education as a kindergartener in a Catholic school and is the mother of four children who were educated in Catholic schools.
During Donaher’s tenure, Bethlehem Catholic introduced a new campus ministry program, including the Frassati Room and expanded retreat offerings and liturgical opportunities; a mental health initiative that includes the Raphael Room; “Virtue = Strength,” a program supporting virtuous living among students; and Yondr phone pouches as part of new approaches to student learning and safety.
“We are deeply grateful to Dr. Donaher for his dedicated leadership of Bethlehem Catholic and for his continued service to the school community,” St. Pierre said.
Copy Permalink
