'Interim' removed from Garner's title at Notre Dame

Tim Garner, who has served as interim principal of Notre Dame Regional High School since last summer, will no longer be "interim" as of July 1.

The Notre Dame board voted earlier this spring to change Garner's title, but a public announcement of the action was delayed until now because it took place as schools throughout the region -- including Notre Dame -- discontinued face-to-face classes for the rest of the school year at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Garner, himself a Notre Dame graduate, was named the school's interim principal in August following the departure of Brother David Migliorino. Migliorino, more commonly known as "Brother David," was Notre Dame's principal for more than two decades. He was assigned to head a school in New York shortly before the start of the 2019-20 school year.

Garner is a member of Notre Dame's Class of 1993 and earned an undergraduate degree in biology at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri. He became a member of the Notre Dame faculty in 2001, teaching several subjects including biology, senior physics and algebra. In 2011 he earned a graduate degree in education administration at William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri.

Over the years, Garner has coached several sports at Notre Dame including basketball, baseball, softball and soccer and in 2016 he became the school's assistant principal.

A tribute to Notre Dame's senior class, including congratulatory messages from Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese Bishop Edward Rice and others, will be posted on the school's Facebook page Sunday, the day the school's graduation was originally scheduled.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Missouri's current restrictions on large gatherings, the school has tentatively rescheduled its baccalaureate and commencement activities for 1 p.m. June 13. If coronavirus prevention measures are still in place at that time, the school's graduation will be pushed back to July 11, according to school officials.

Located along Route K near Cape Girardeau's western city limits, Notre Dame Regional High School has an enrollment of approximately 500 students.

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