Pennsbury Promotes Two District Administrators

The Pennsbury Board of School Directors recently promoted two district administrators.

Elizabeth A. Aldridge was named the new Director of Pupil Services, while Derek J. Majikas was appointed to serve as acting principal at Pennwood Middle School. The announcements were made last week.

Aldridge, who will assume her new role on July 6, has served as the principal at Pennwood Middle School since 2015. She will replace the outgoing Director of Administrative Services, Sherwood Taylor, who is retiring from the district after 40 years.

“It is clear that she is well-respected by all stakeholders who have had the good fortune of collaborating with her. Ms. Aldridge will surely lead with a child-centered approach and a sustained focus on customer service,” said Superintendent Dr. William Gretzula.

As the director of pupil services, Aldridge will be responsible for pupil registration and accounting, attendance and truancy, nursing services, and also serve as the liaison for local police and prevention services. The Pupil Services department also handles census data, registration for free and reduced meal eligibility, safe schools grants, and student transcripts, among other duties.

Aldridge began her career as a high school English teacher and then as an assistant principal at Pennsbury High School. In 2010, Aldridge was selected to become the principal of Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary School, where she served for five years. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education from the University of Scranton, a Master of Science in Instructional Technology from Philadelphia University, and Principal’s Certification from the University of Pennsylvania’s Leadership Program for Aspiring Principals. She has completed doctoral-level work in the Teaching, Learning and Curriculum program at the University of Pennsylvania and is currently enrolled in a doctoral program in Educational Leadership at Gwynedd-Mercy University.

Majikas, who has served in his current role of assistant principal at Pennwood Middle School since 2008, will step into an acting principal position when Aldridge moves to central administration.

“With his years of administrative experience and familiarity with the ongoing renovation of Pennwood, this move will allow us to maintain stability and continuity at the school during such a critical time,” said Gretzula. “We value the many contributions Mr. Majikas has made to date at Pennwood, and look forward to working with him on this next step of his leadership journey.”

Majikas earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master’s degree in Mathematics Education from the same university. His K-12 Administrative Certificate was obtained from Gwynedd-Mercy University. Prior to launching his administrative career in Pennsbury, Majikas taught mathematics at Pennsbury High School, where he also served as Math Department Chairperson.