On February 17, 2021, The Saint John’s Catholic Prep (SJCP) Board of Trustees announced to the SJCP community Principal Will Knotek will be appointed as the new Head of School beginning July 1, 2021. 

During the November 2020 SJCP Board of Trustees closed session, President Dr. Powell shared his plans to step down after the 2020-21 school year after leading SJCP for the past six years. The Board of Trustees immediately began a job search for the next school leader. At the conclusion of the search, the Board decided to appoint Principal Will Knotek as the future Head of School for SJCP. 

During this transition, the SJCP Board of Trustees voted to adopt a new school leadership model. This model will strengthen and streamline the current President and Principal leadership model currently used. This new model will vest Mr. Knotek with the overall responsibility for all school operations. Over the next few months, retiring President Dr. Thomas Powell will work closely with Mr. Knotek to ensure a smooth leadership transition. Dr. Powell will remain involved in the community as President Emeritus and has been contracted as a consultant for the next year.

For the past three years, Will Knotek has served as Principal of SJCP. He has initiated numerous academic programs and had the foresight to develop and equip the faculty and students for distance learning allowing for a one-day shift in March at the start of the pandemic. Principal Knotek continues to lead the school’s response to the continued challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has allowed SJCP to remain open since August for nearly six months with in-person learning utilizing the hybrid model. Principal Knotek continues to lead the school in taking steps forward, opening more and more with a full on-campus learning plan in August.

Before coming to SJCP, Will was the Assistant Principal at St. John Regional Catholic School in Frederick, Maryland. He also served as a social studies teacher and Department Chair at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, received his bachelor’s degree in History and Secondary Education from Boston College, and earned a Master’s in Educational Leadership and Administration from George Washington University. He holds his school administrative license from the Maryland Department of Education.

Will grew up in a small town in Connecticut named East Hampton and played basketball and tennis at the local high school. It was his favorite teacher in high school, Mr. Goldberg that inspired him to become a teacher and taught him the importance of connecting with students beyond just teaching the subject matter. During high school, he converted to Catholicism, which influenced his decision to attend Boston College, a Catholic university. Will remembers eating lunch in McElroy Hall on the Boston College campus, named after Father John McElroy, the founder of both Boston College and Saint John's.

Will and his wife, Alison have two children, Graham and Charlotte, and a dog Lucy, who they recently adopted during the quarantine. When not at Saint John's, Will loves spending time being a "dad", watching his children at their games and gymnastic classes, playing sports with them, and riding bikes. This time with them is always the highlight of his day. His favorite family vacation was to Emerald Isle, a beautiful beach town in North Carolina, in the Summer of 2019. While they did not travel there this past summer, they hope to for many summers to come. Even though Will has lived in Maryland for many years now, he prefers lobster over Maryland crab and is still perfecting the technique of picking crabs. Will is a huge New England sports fan... and will admit it... he misses Tom Brady. 

As Principal at Saint John's, Will has loved watching the students mature over the years as they grow into responsible and successful young adults. For several of the Saint John's graduates, he has had the honor of awarding them both their middle school (St. John Regional Catholic School) and high school diplomas!

The Saint John’s Catholic Prep community is excited to welcome Mr. Knotek as the future Head of School.