LANCASTER — The board of trustees of St. Mary's High School recently announced Kevin Kelleher, a 1989 graduate, has been named the first head of school at St. Mary's, completing its transition to a new governance and leadership model. It also announced it will be holding its placement exam and review classes in November.

The change to the high school's leadership structure was brought on by the resignation of the school's president, Mark Tramont, and retirement of its previous principal, Rebecca Kranz. Tramont is now a leadership liaison to the school's board of trustees.

Kelleher has been the school's vice president since 2014, before which he was the athletic and enrollment director at St. Mary's for six years, where he also coached the boys' varsity basketball team to its first-ever championship. During his tenure as athletic director, he oversaw the construction of a state-of-the-art athletic center. In 2006, he became a co-owner of Integrity Distribution and vice president of sales and marketing for ADPRO Sports.

Kelleher founded the Chris Wanat Memorial Foundation, which has since donated over $250,000 to Lancaster and Depew since 1993.

He holds a bachelor's degree in history from St. Bonaventure University and a juris doctorate degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo's law school. He began a career as assistant director of championships and compliance for the Atlantic 10 Conference in Philadelphia.

In the head of school model that St. Mary's is adopting, there will be a chief financial officer to handle all accounting for the school. The head of school, with the assistance of deans, oversees everything else. Other leadership staff include a dean of academic affairs, dean of advancement and alumni affairs, dean of enrollment and student life, and a dean of student formation. The head of school model is very common in New England, but new to Western New York.

Additionally, St. Mary's will be holding a three-day placement exam review course from 4-6 p.m., Nov. 16-18, which will be covering all of the essential elements of the test students must take in order to attend the school. The test will take place from 8 a.m. to noon, Nov. 19, at the high school. All prospective incoming eighth-graders must enroll.

Students must register for the class by Nov. 9 and the exam by Nov. 14. The $100 fee for the class includes practice exams and a review book. The exam is $20.

For more information or to register for the exam or classes, contact dean of student life and enrollment Andrea Drabik at 716-683-4824, or visit www.smhlancers.org.