Pennsbury Makes Administrative Changes

The Pennsbury School District announced administrative changes at the school board meeting last month.

Vincent DePaola Jr. was appointed as the new principal of Fallsington Elementary School. He has served as assistant principal of Pennwood Middle School and prior to that he was an assistant principal at Pennsbury High School for eight years.

Before settling on DePaola, the district held interviews that included stakeholders from the school board, administration, faculty, and parents.

“The feedback we received about Mr. DePaola’s strengths was abundant, including his breadth of experience (K-12) as a paraprofessional, teacher, and administrator. Additionally, he is viewed as a student-centered leader who will actively seek to partner with staff and families to create a sense of community and shared responsibility to provide the best possible learning experience for all students of Fallsington Elementary,” the district said in a statement.

Former Fallsington Elementary School Principal Brian Shaffer left the district over the summer and was hired by the Methacton School District in Montgomery County. He is among four former and current administrators that has filed U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaints against the school district.

Administrative intern Justine McEachern has been appointed as an assistant principal at Pennsbury High School. She will also serve as the supervisor of school counseling for the district.

“We are excited to be working with Ms. McEachern, who has done an outstanding job supporting students and families as a counselor for the past five years in the Pennsbury community,” said Superintendent Dr. William Gretzula. “Ms. McEachern presented a compassion for her students and a comprehensive vision for the entire counseling department. Her goals include fully developing our program to support high school students’ college and career planning, enhancing internal and external communication with students and their families, and advancing our social and emotional learning curriculum. Ms. McEachern will also work with administrators and school counselors to support them in meeting the needs of all students.”

Teachers Maria Gregory, Megan Swope, and Ryan Kennedy were picked to serve as administrative interns for the district.

“Ms. Gregory is on a temporary assignment as an Administrative Intern at William Penn Middle School during the current marking period, with the possibility of an extension. Ms. Swope and Mr. Kennedy were selected to serve as Administrative Interns with a focus on implementing technology to enhance teaching and learning at the secondary level in Pennsbury. They will join teachers, Jeanmarie McGinley and Amanda D’Amico, who currently serve as Administrative Interns with a focus on technology across the elementary level,” the district said in a statement.

“When possible, we try to support the growth of these educators who desire leadership opportunities. The three candidates approved this evening have provided exemplary service in their classrooms, engaging and personalized learning experiences for their students, and a commitment to placing students at the center of all we do,” Gretzula said following their appointment last week.