Valley school officials hope to find new CHS principal by June 19

Community members are being asked to respond to a survey by May 17

By John Tredrea
   Hopewell Valley schools Superintendent Judith Ferguson hopes to recommend a successor for outgoing Central High School Principal Joseph Mangiaracina at the June 19 school board meeting.
   Mr. Mangiaracina, CHS principal for two years, recently submitted his resignation, effective the end of this school year.
   School district officials are asking staff, students, parents and community members for input on what kind of high school principal they want. These stakeholder groups are being polled in a survey available at a number of locations, including the high school’s main office, public libraries and municipal buildings in Hopewell Township and Pennington and Hopewell boroughs — the three towns that comprise the regional district.
   The survey also is downloadable through the district Web site: www.hvrsd.k12.nj.us.
   Survey respondents are being asked to rank a list of 10 leadership qualities identified as key attributes of a successful principal by educational researcher and author Robert J. Marzano.
   Those taking the survey will rank the "attributes of leadership" by writing a number from 1 to 10 in the spaces provided on the survey sheet.
   The 10 attributes, which are described in more detail on the survey sheet, are: intellectual stimulation, change agent, situational awareness, communication, order, discipline, monitoring/evaluating, flexibility, knowledge of curriculum, instruction and assessment and optimizer.
   Part II of the survey asks two questions: What are the high school’s greatest strengths? and What are the challenges that the high school will face in the next few years? Each question allows for three responses.
   There also is a space on the form for comments. The person responding to the survey need not identify himself/herself, but should check off one of the following: teacher, administrator, support staff, parent/guardian, student, or other.
   Completed surveys are due May 17. They should be dropped off at the high school’s main office, or mailed to the school, in care of Diane Burkhalter (Central High School, 259 Pennington-Titusville Road, Pennington, 08534).
   The school building is located on Pennington-Titusville Road, just west of the Hopewell Township Branch, Mercer Library.
   Applications for the principal’s position will be accepted until May 20.
   In addition to Dr. Ferguson, the nine-member search committee includes former CHS Principal and current Assistant Superintendent John W. Bach, Vice Principal Dennis Vinson, Guidance Supervisor Fay Rappaport, teachers John McGinley and Jay Steinberg, CHS sophomore Lena Klett and PTO President Denise Nichols. Richard Lang, director of human resources, chairs the committee.
   Copies of the survey also can be obtained from these search team members.
   Dr. Marzano, the person who identified the key attributes, is president and founder of Marzano & Associates, Centennial, Colo. He has spent over 35 years in education, according to his Web site.
   "The central theme of his work has been translating research and theory into practical programs and tools for K-12 teachers and administrators. In addition to his duties at Marzano & Associates, he is a senior scholar at Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) and an associate professor at Cardinal Stritch University," according to the site.
   Dr. Marzano received his bachelor’s degree in English from Iona College, his master’s degree in reading and language arts from Seattle University, and his doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the University of Washington. He also is the author of many books, articles, chapters in books and curriculum guides and related materials for teachers and students in grades K-12.