Pennsbury Appoints Two New School Principals

Two new school principals have been appointed in the Pennsbury School District.

Richard W. Rebh was named principal of Quarry Hill Elementary School, while Travis Bloom was appointed principal of Charles Boehm Middle School.

Rebh is set to replace outgoing Principal Dr. Peggy Schiavone, who recently retired.

Bloom will replace outgoing Principal Theresa Ricci, who was recently promoted to the position of director of secondary education for the district.

Both Rebh and Bloom were two of 38 applicants. Rounds of interviews included meetings with such stakeholders as school board meetings, administrators, faculty members, and parents.

“The feedback we received about Mr. Rebh’s strengths included comments on his approachability, collaborative nature, and his passion for working with elementary students,” said Superintendent Dr. William Gretzula. “Committee members who have experience with Mr. Rebh recognized his ‘whole-child’ approach that places equal emphasis on the academic, behavioral, emotional, and social development of children. Further, committee members shared a strong belief that his experience at the middle school level will aid in preparing Quarry Hill students for the transition to higher grades.”

“The feedback we received about Mr. Bloom’s strengths is that he has high expectations that are consistently focused on the children he serves,” said Gretzula. “Interview committee members were excited to learn of his experience at the middle school level, his ability to build relationships with all students and staff, his appreciation for Charles Boehm’s history of success, and his genuine collaborative spirit.”

A recent press release noted that Rebh has worked in the school district for 25 years in both teaching and administrative capabilities and has extensive experience teaching at the elementary level, having worked at both Quarry Hill and Edgewood elementary schools since 1993. He also gained two years of administrative experience as assistant to the principal at both schools. Most recently, Rebh served as acting assistant principal at Pennwood Middle School last year. Prior to that appointment, he taught seventh and eighth-grade language arts classes at Pennwood and also served as a basketball coach for both boys and girls. Mr. Rebh has worked on numerous District-level projects and initiatives over the years, including the RELA Advisory Council, the Safe Schools Committee, the Domain Writing Committee, and the Pennsbury Partners Program.

Before to joining Pennsbury, Rebh worked in the communications field. He served as communications director for the United Way of Princeton from 1990 to 1993 and as Communications Specialist for the NJ Credit Union League from 1988 to 1990. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Lehigh University, a master’s degree in curriculum, instruction, and supervision from Rider University, and his principal’s certification, also from Rider.

Bloom will be coming to Pennsbury from the Centennial School District, where he has served as principal of Klinger Middle School since 2014. Before that, he was the assistant principal at Eyer Middle School in the East Penn School District and assistant principal at Muhlenberg Middle School in the Muhlenburg School District. His teaching experience includes work as a ninth-grade teacher of history in the Allentown School District. He also served as a district technology instructor for teachers during summer in-service programs and a positive behavior support team leader in an inner-city high school.

Bloom is currently enrolled in a doctoral program at Drexel University and anticipates he will graduate in January 2019 with an doctorate in educational leadership and management. He holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from Wilkes University and a bachelor of science degree in secondary education from Kutztown University.