Representatives of the state's only residential charter school, which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2010, have picked a long-time school administrator to lead the school.

The New Mexico School for the Arts announced Thursday that after two national searches it has hired 51-year-old Frank Marchese. The first search ended in January with the school's board unsatisfied with the candidates.

The second search went much better, according to co-founder Catherine Oppenheimer.

"(Marchese) has a lot of experience," she said, "and is someone who we thought would really fit in well in New Mexico."

Marchese is originally from Canada, but has worked in, and founded, schools in Canada and the United States. Most recently he was principal of Our Lady of Victory Catholic School in Fort Erie, Ontario.

He said he applied for the job as head of school because he'd had experience with arts-focused schools and because he knows what it's like to start a school from the ground up.

"I know that a start-up takes a lot of long hours and long weeks," Marchese said. "And you want to be around people that share the same commitment."

"When I met the people, I became quite enamored with them," he said. "They had a great team, and I saw that I could fit in very well."

Among Marchese's tasks for the next year will be finalizing the details of the school's curriculum as well as hiring staff.

Marchese has two bachelor's degrees, both from the University of Western Ontario, and a master's degree in education from Brock University in St. Catherines, Ontario.

Auditions for the school — it's the only public school in New Mexico that requires students meet admissions criteria — start in January and run through March, Oppenheimer said.

Officials haven't decided what grades the school will include when it opens, she said, but it will definitely not accept seniors. "We may start with ninth, tenth and eleventh," Oppenheimer said. "That's a decision Frank is going to make."

In the first year, the School for the Arts will focus on students who live within commuting distance of Santa Fe — including Albuquerque. It expects to admit about 20 boarding students.

Oppenheimer said the school so far has received a lot of interest from teachers and students, with more than 150 teachers applying, even though there have been no official postings.

Officials also are still looking for places to hold classes and house boarding students.

Oppenheimer said officials continue to work with the Santa Fe school district on renting a facility and hope to have something nailed down by August. They're also talking with the New Mexico School for the Deaf about leasing dormitory space.

Contact John Sena at 986-3079 or jsena@sfnewmexican.com">jsena@sfnewmexican.com.