We are fortunate to welcome a new Security Team to our school. These new positions are part of St. Mary’s commitment to ensuring the safety of our campus. Welcome Mark, James, and Don!
Mark Hooper, Director of Security
This summer, Mark Hooper began his tenure as St. Mary’s first Director of Security. Mark has over 30 years of experience in law enforcement, emergency management, and school security. Hooper’s sole focus will be maintaining a safe and secure environment for students, families, and employees. He will work with school administrators to continue implementing the comprehensive security assessment from our safety partner Defend Systems.
Before joining St. Mary’s, Mark served as Director of Campus Safety at St. Benedict at Auburndale High School. He previously worked as a Federal Air Marshal, a Special Agent with the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission, and a Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputy.
“I’m looking forward to joining such a distinguished place of learning and working with the amazing individuals at St. Mary’s. I’m excited to contribute to such an accomplished school by enhancing the security program,” Mark said.
James Fyke, Assistant Director of Security
James joins St. Mary’s new security team as one of the assistant directors. He comes to St. Mary’s with 13 years of experience in law enforcement including the Collierville Police Department, the University of Memphis Police Department as a detective and a special agent with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. James has a bachelor’s in criminal justice and a master’s in professional studies with a concentration in strategic leadership from the University of Memphis in 2018. James and his wife Libba are parents of two St. Mary’s students.
“I am excited to work with faculty, staff, and students who have become family over the past three years,” James said. “It is a privilege to be a part of a team that will ensure that St. Mary's has the highest safety standards and becomes the safest school in the area.”
Assistant Director of Security, Don Thompson
Don brings experience in the Navy and education to his new role of Assistant Director of Security. He retired from the Navy SEALs in 1996 and began teaching the following year. Don taught pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first grade, and K-4th science labs. His wife teaches Spanish at St. Agnes and St. Dominic schools; together, they have seven children and six dogs.
Although he will not be in a teaching role, Don is certified in PK-12/ESL in California, Pennsylvania, Washington State, and Tennessee. He has a bachelor’s degree in recreation management and a teaching certificate from National University. He has also taken several disaster recovery and management courses from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“I'm excited to be working at St Mary’s because I believe I can make a great school even better,” Don said.
- All-School
