IN Fox Chapel Area Summer 2016 | Page 21

M egan Cicconi has so much energy and enthusiasm for innovation in public education,” said Superintendent Gene Freeman, Ed.D., about the district’s newly appointed director of instructional and innovative leadership. “Her expertise is invaluable and she is very well-known and well-respected in the educational community. She also brings with her a lot of connections with educational and business leaders throughout the country.” True to her title, Mrs. Cicconi has set out to establish the Fox Chapel Area School District as a regional and national leader in innovation, “Not by chasing the next shiny trend, but rather by strengthening current initiatives and seizing new opportunities that align with our vision and mission.” She has already discovered that the district is a trend-setter and innovator, rather than a follower. One of her first goals pertains to computer science. Mrs. Cicconi explains that 71 percent of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) jobs are in computer science, and that the typical computer science major earns 40 percent more than other college graduates. only one in the state to provide free certified training in infusing coding into elementary and middle schools through the national organization Code.org®; and expanding and improving the computer science offerings in the middle and high schools. Mrs. Cicconi said she has a genuine interest in learning and wanting to impr