IN Fox Chapel Area Winter 2016 | Page 17

O’ HARA PRINCIPAL TO FOCUS ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Although she has only been the principal at O’ Hara for a few short weeks, Kristy Batis is impressed with the O’ Hara Elementary School community.“ I am pleased to see how eager the students are to learn, how supportive and involved the families are, and how cohesive the administrative team is,” she said.

Already Mrs. Batis has several main goals. In addition to wanting to continue the“ wonderful” programs that are already in place, she wants to focus on student growth and rigor. She knows that the way to do that is by looking at and knowing each individual student.“ Specifically, I look forward to cultivating an environment where teachers are consistently collaborating across sections, grade levels, and content areas to utilize data to drive instructional decision-making focused on each and every student’ s unique needs.”

Mrs. Batis said that the use of data to drive instructional decision-making goes beyond just the classroom teachers. In a unique twist, she knows that the students must buy in to the process as well in order for it to be successful.“ It’ s imperative that students learn to analyze their own individual data, set

growth goals, and monitor their progress toward those goals,” she commented.“ In doing so, it helps students become more involved and invested in their own education.”

She already has experience doing this. While a principal at Jeffery Primary School in the Shaler Area School District, she and the staff implemented this same concept with a focus on student growth and achievement. She reported that the method helped the students make great progress.“ As a result of our team approach, our students made tremendous gains which were reflected by several measures, most notably, the PSSA scores and building SPP score,” she reported.

Prior to starting her job at O’ Hara on October 31, Mrs. Batis spent 10 years at Shaler Area working in a variety of roles. In addition to being the principal of Jeffery Primary, she was a second grade teacher, K-12 technology integrator, and a third grade teacher. Mrs. Batis has a Master of Education from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, as well as a Master of Arts in elementary education from Chatham University, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Pittsburgh.

Mrs. Batis and her husband John have two small children. In their spare time, she and her family enjoy visiting the many attractions in the Pittsburgh area, including the Pittsburgh Zoo, the Children’ s Museum, and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. ox Chapel Area FOX CHAPEL AREA SCHOOL NEWS

HELPING OTHERS MOTIVATES EDWARDS TO CHOOSE EDUCATION

Helping others is the reason new O’ Hara Elementary School Assistant Principal Stephen Edwards chose a career in education. His desire to help others also guided him to work with a nonprofit educational organization. Mr. Edwards has worked as a teacher in schools both in the area and in Virginia. However, it is his experience with A Connected Planet that gives him a unique perspective on the importance of 21 st-century skills in the classroom. The agency brings professional development to help implement technology and education for the 21 st century to teachers and students within Haitian schools. Over the past two years, Mr. Edwards has taken two trips to Haiti where he has worked directly with teachers and students to promote literacy and technology within their schools. That’ s in addition to being a fourth grade teacher in the South Fayette Township School District before joining the Fox Chapel Area School District in late October.

“ Helping others is why I got into education, and having the opportunity to help those in need has always been something I’ ve strived to do. My experience in Haiti was very gratifying and I feel very fortunate to be a part of such a wonderful organization.” He added,“ I have learned so much while

working with teachers and students in Haiti. During my visits to the Haitian schools I met so many people who were so willing to learn in order to better themselves and their country.”

Mr. Edwards looks forward to providing both students and staff with rigorous learning opportunities at O’ Hara.“ I want to help them grow as individuals and continue to build upon the nurturing culture that has become a staple for the students here at O’ Hara Elementary,” he said.“ Providing teachers with effective practices for utilizing technology will further engage students in learning while building upon fundamental 21 st- century skills.”

Prior to his job teaching at South Fayette, Mr. Edwards served principal internships in the North Allegheny and Mt. Lebanon school districts. He also taught fifth grade in the Greensburg Salem School District and sixth grade in the Moniteau School District. Mr. Edwards began his teaching career as a sixth grade classroom teacher for the Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia. He has a bachelor’ s degree in elementary education from Duquesne University and a master’ s degree in reading education with reading specialist certification from the University of Pittsburgh.

Mr. Edwards and his wife, Meggan, have two young daughters. In addition to spending time with his family, he enjoys outdoor activities including fishing and camping.“ I am also a huge Pittsburgh sports fan,” he said.

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