Notre Dame Academy picks former St. Bernard’s principal as next leader
Photo | Erika Sidor
Linda Anderson
Notre Dame Academy in Worcester has named Linda Anderson, the former principal of St. Bernard’s High School in Fitchburg, as its next head of school.
Anderson, who currently serves as an academic coach at Athol High School, will start full time on Notre Dame’s campus in January and officially become the head of school on April 1. She will replace Marilyn Tencza, who has led NDA since 2022 and will remain with the academy through June to aid in the transition, according to a Sep. 10 announcement from the school’s board of trustees.
Prior to joining Athol High School, Anderson served as the principal of St. Bernard’s High School in Fitchburg from 2019 to 2024. There, she is credited with overseeing a remarkable turnaround that doubled enrollment, stabilized finances, and strengthened academics. Her efforts were featured in the documentary “All In: Miracle at St. Bernard’s.”
Anderson began her career teaching English, Latin, philosophy, and psychology at St. Bernard’s before moving into a leadership position. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College and a master’s degree in human development and learning from Harvard University.
She was a member of WBJ’s 40 Under Forty Class of 2021, which recognized her as one of the region’s rising leaders in education.
“I am honored to serve the NDA community in this role,” Anderson said in the press release. “As a product of both Catholic and all-women’s education, I am keenly aware of the ways that both traditions inform and inspire the minds and hearts of young women.”
A Worcester-area native, Anderson attended Trinity Catholic Academy in Southbridge and graduated from St. Peter-Marian High School in Worcester. She resides in Westminster.
Following Anderson’s departure from St. Benard’s, Joseph Cussen was named the new principal of the school in May.
Founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Notre Dame Academy is the only independent all-girls Catholic school in Central Massachusetts, according to the press release.
Notre Dame’s enrollment was 258 students in the 2024-2025 school year, making it the 11th largest private school in Central Massachusetts, according to data compiled by the WBJ Research Department. Its tuition is $18,062.
Charlotte Powers is a fall editorial intern for the Worcester Business Journal. She is a junior at College of the Holy Cross and studies political science, with a minor in environmental studies.
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