Angelo Sciandra, left, long-time athletic director at Cardinal O'Hara High School, hands over "Frank," a statue of St. Francis of Assisi and symbol of the athletic department, to Brian Lamping (center), newly-named athletic director. Principal Mary Holzerland (right), congratulates them both. The statue has been placed near the flagpole on the school's athletic field for the past 10 years, and Sciandra recalled that in all that time, there has never been a serious injury in any competition.

TONAWANDA — Cardinal O'Hara High School has named Brian Lamping, of the COHS class of 2001, as athletic director, and Jill Monaco as assistant principal. Both new appointees have had a long history in Catholic education and received high marks from their supervisor.

Lamping, who is replacing longtime athletic director Angelo Sciandra, was named to the position after Sciandra announced his retirement effective July 1. Lamping has worked at the school since 2003, when he became coach of the girls' volleyball and boys' bowling teams. In 2007, he took a position with the school's faculty and began teaching career/finance and computer tech.

He has also been responsible for coordinating events at the Performing Arts Center. Lamping holds a bachelor's degree from Buffalo State College and is working on a master's degree at Canisius College.

"The O'Hara board of trustees is very pleased that Brian Lamping has been appointed as the new athletic director," said Principal Mary Holzerland. "Mr. Lamping's dedication to our school and his commitment to our students, academically as well as athletically, made him an outstanding candidate for this position."

Prior to being appointed as Cardinal O'Hara's assistant principal, Monaco had been principal of Immaculata Academy in Hamburg since 2010 and Immaculata's assistant principal since 2000. She has two master's degrees in education and educational leadership from Canisius College in Buffalo and a bachelor's degree in psychology from the State University of New York at Oswego.

"Mrs. Monaco's past administrative experience in a Franciscan-based high school program makes her an outstanding addition to the Cardinal O'Hara school community," Holzerland added.

Cardinal O'Hara High School is a co-educational college preparatory school established in 1961. Founded on the Franciscan beliefs of faith, knowledge and tradition, COHS continues to educate students from diverse faiths and backgrounds from the Western New York community and beyond.