On August 5, 2022, Loretto Academy President Ms. Nicole Cobb welcomed students back to campus to commence the 2022-2023 school year. 

After Sister “Buffy” Boesen’s retirement as President of Loretto Academy on April 12, 2022, Loretto’s Board of Trustees elected Ms. Cobb to assume the role of President. 

Ms. Cobb graduated from Loretto in 2002 and attended Harvard University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry with a Foreign Language Citation in Spanish.

Additionally, she earned a Master of Science Degree in Biochemistry and a Master of Arts Degree in Education from Stanford University. 

After beginning her teaching career at El Paso Community College in 2013, Ms. Cobb returned to Loretto as a science teacher in 2016.

During her time teaching at Loretto, Ms. Cobb created the WiSE Festival, which stands for Women in Science and Engineering, and she also received the Loretto Teacher of the Year award in 2018.

In May 2022, Ms. Cobb began her new position as President of Loretto Academy. 

This school year will be Ms. Cobb’s first full school year as President, and she came just in time to celebrate Loretto’s centennial anniversary in 2023. 

As the Loretto community gathers to continue a tradition of excellence, Ms. Cobb looks to promote the Four Core Values of Faith, Community, Justice, and Respect.

Her plans to make further advancements in safety, scholarships, and service at the school have progressed.

On October 22, 2022, students, parents, faculty, and staff were invited to participate in Loretto’s first annual Day of Service.

All volunteers brought gardening equipment to plant a garden in front of the chapel surrounding the Mother Mary statue.

This effort to bring the Loretto community together was well-received and students will continue to honor Mary by beautifying the campus.

Q&A with Ms. Cobb

Do you plan on reviving the WiSE Festival? 

“I am looking forward to working with the science department to see how we can grow WiSE.  It is a wonderful opportunity for students to get excited about STEM and share their excitement, knowledge, and research with the rest of the Academy.”

Are there any plans in place for the Centennial celebration that you could share with us?  

“There are various events, such as a gala, that are being planned. We are also bringing back Angelpalooza in August of 2023. Loretto will rent all Western Playland for an evening, and it will be a fun way to start off a new school year with Loretto friends and family.”

In the months that you have been back at Loretto as President, what has been your favorite memory thus far?

“There have been several moments when I felt extremely grateful to be back at Loretto among our community. I sincerely enjoy getting to know students, celebrating mass, and various activities with you. 

I loved watching the elementary students do their Halloween parade in the front circle. I also really enjoyed our first Academy-wide Day of Service as we created a Mary Garden and cleaned up the campus.”

What are you most excited about for this school year? 

“I am excited to be back at Loretto Academy and getting to know new students, faculty, staff, and families. There is a lot of excitement, too, as we head into our 100th year. There are also lots of new projects (see below) that capture the enthusiasm I see and help us look ahead to ensuring that Loretto is around for another 100 years.”

What are some changes you’ve added to our campus plan? (Guardian Angels, elevator, Giving Day, etc.)  

“We are working hard to get a new elevator in place in 2023. This is an important project as we know that students and teachers need an elevator at times, especially when they are seriously injured or unable to climb stairs. 

The new campus ministry program is also putting together a plan for how our school will become a Laudato Si school. There is a renewed commitment to caring for our beautiful school grounds, caring for our planet, and sustainable growth. 

We also do have a new Guardian Angel program that we will continue to expand in 2023. This is a volunteer program where parents/guardians act as an extra set of eyes and welcome visitors to our campus.”

How have you overcome challenges throughout your career as a teacher, and do you take the same approach as President?

“I sincerely enjoyed my time as a science teacher at Loretto. I believe that really getting to know students and creating opportunities for them to become fully invested in their learning made teaching so rewarding. 

The challenges that I faced were logistical ones, such as figuring out how to organize the WiSE Festival. However, because students were the co-founders, they helped tremendously. My students fundraised for the event (bringing in donations for breakfast and lunch as well as for the cost of the t-shirts). 

As President, I still believe that changes and innovation will be more meaningful if others are fully invested in the Academy. We are all here because we love Loretto Academy and its mission; it is going to take a team effort to ensure that the schools continue to provide an empowering education with our core values at the heart.”

Several new events are in the works to celebrate 100 years of Loretto and encourage students to make more memories together.

Ms. Cobb has stepped into the role of President with a tight agenda and continues to make uniting Loretto Angels a priority for years to come.