The Pennsbury board of school directors appointed Vincent DePaola, Jr. to be principal of Fallsington Elementary School, effective Oct. 1, at the public school board meeting held on Sept. 19. DePaola will replace outgoing interim principal Fay Manicke.
As a Pennsbury principal, DePaola will report to superintendent Dr. William Gretulza and the director of elementary education, Michele Spack, for the general administration of Fallsington Elementary.
His duties will include staff evaluation, supervision and development, evaluation and administration of the instructional and educational programs, scheduling, organization of student activities, student discipline, financial management, facilities management, coordination of transportation, office management, and communication with parents.
For the past year, DePaola served as assistant principal of Pennwood Middle School, and prior to that, he was an assistant principal at Pennsbury High School from 2010-2018. Rounds of interviews included meetings with 26 stakeholders, including school directors, administrators, faculty members and parents.
“The feedback we received about DePaola’s strengths was abundant, including his breadth of experience (K-12) as a paraprofessional, teacher and administrator,” said Gretzula. “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.”
Prior to joining Pennsbury, DePaola worked in the North Penn School District, where he was a middle school learning support teacher and eighth grade acting assistant principal. DePaola has a master’s degree in education from LaSalle University and is certified in elementary education, special education K-12, and middle level mathematics. He also holds a principal’s certificate from Cabrini College. He earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and social work from DeSales University.
At the meeting, the Pennsbury board of school directors appointed Justine McEachern to be an assistant principal at Pennsbury High School. McEachern will also serve as the supervisor of school counseling for grades K-12 in this position.
For the past year, McEachern served in an administrative intern capacity, handling similar duties at Pennsbury High School, and prior to that, she was the lead counselor, also at PHS, since 2016.
As an assistant principal, McEachern will report to PHS co-principals Lisa Becker and Reggie Meadows. She will be responsible for assisting with the general administration of the high school campus. Duties include staff evaluation, supervision and development, evaluation and administration of the instructional educational programs, scheduling, office management, organizing of student activities, student discipline, and other responsibilities as assigned.
The interview process involved meeting with a variety of Pennsbury stakeholders.
“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 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.”
McEachern will also work with administrators and school counselors to support them in meeting the needs of all students.
Prior to joining the school counseling department at Pennsbury High School in 2014, McEachern was a counselor for grades 7-12 at the Avon Grove Charter School from 2010-2014. She holds a master’s degree in education and school counseling certification from Widener University, principal’s certification from Holy Family University, and is about to complete a master’s degree in educational leadership, also from Holy Family. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in communication studies from Bloomsburg University.
Also during the meeting, the board appointed teachers Maria Gregory, Megan Swope and Ryan Kennedy to serve as administrative interns.
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. Swope and 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.
“Throughout my time in Pennsbury, I have valued the teacher leadership that is clearly evident in all of our schools,” said Gretzula. “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.”
Gregory served previously as an administrative intern at William Penn in the spring of 2019. Since 2013, she has been the reading specialist at Charles Boehm Middle School. From 1999-2013, she served as a classroom teacher in various grade levels at Afton Elementary. She holds a K-12 principal certificate from Gwynedd Mercy University, a master’s degree in education with reading specialist certification from Holy Family University, and a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Delaware.
Swope joined Pennsbury in 1999 as a social studies teacher and became department chair at Pennsbury High School in 2007. She has a master’s degree in teaching and learning from Gratz College and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Rochester.
Kennedy has served previously as an administrative intern at Pennwood Middle School and Makefield Elementary School. He joined Pennsbury in 2014 as an English/language arts teacher at the secondary level. He has a master’s degree in secondary education from the University of Scranton and a bachelor’s degree in communication, also from the University of Scranton. Kennedy is currently enrolled in a principal certification program at Holy Family University.
