IN West Jefferson Hills Summer 2017 | Page 50

ADMINISTRATION BUILDING 835 OLD CLAIRTON ROAD • JEFFERSON HILLS, PA 15025 PHONE [phone] • FAX [phone] www. wjhsd. net

MESSAGE FROM THE

West Jefferson Hills School District Superintendent est Jefferson Hills WEST JEFFERSON HILLS SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS

As the school year draws to a close, I’ m sure that a lot of you are thinking about enjoying the many activities and opportunities that accompany the onset of summer vacation. But before you breathe a huge sigh of relief and launch into summer break, take a moment to reflect on the past school year and consider all of the positive things that have occurred throughout the district over the last nine and a half months.

Even though I have only been a part of the district since early March, I have spent a great deal of time researching and acclimating myself to the culture and people of the West Jefferson Hills communities. The countless hours I have spent meeting with the stakeholders of the district have been so energizing and given me cause for great optimism moving forward. The one common theme that has arisen from every group is that there is an expectation throughout the West Jefferson Hills School District to be the best. And even though there is evidence of great success throughout our academic, arts, and athletic programs, there is definitely a presiding feeling that there is room to grow and greater heights to be achieved. After a review of the many district accomplishments over the course of the 2016-2017 school year, there are certainly many that need to be recognized and celebrated.

By now, the members of the class of 2017 have declared their post-secondary plans, and the list of schools and programs they will be attending is very impressive. They have also been recognized as individuals and have accumulated a notable amount of scholarship monies and awards. I want to personally wish them well in their pursuit of their dreams and life’ s work moving forward.

One of the first events I was able to attend after being hired was our High School musical“ Shrek”. I was blown away with the many talents that were on display that evening and came away so impressed with every aspect of the production. The support and enthusiasm that swarmed the theatre that evening were contagious and immediately made me realize the importance of the Arts in our district. I couldn’ t help but wonder how nice it will be to see professional level performances such as this one in our new state-of-the-art theatre in the“ new” high school.

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TJ has always been synonymous with successful athletic programs, and this year proved to be no different. The great majority of our teams were playoff bound and enjoyed successful seasons. Our football team brought the WPIAL crown back home for the second straight year. And once again, many of our senior student-athletes were successful enough to be recruited to take their talents to play at the collegiate level.

As someone who is new to the district, the dedication and commitment that the students, teachers, and parents have demonstrated to all areas of the entire educational program has been amazing. While I have tried to spend the last few months doing more listening than speaking, I do feel that I can say with great certainty that the district is ready to take the next steps toward excellence. I believe that all of the pieces are in place to be one of the top districts locally, regionally, and statewide. Great students, dedicated and committed teachers, supportive and involved parents, a school board that is focused on doing what is best for children, a cohesive administrative team, and a community that is extremely proud of its schools.

Next year we will start the construction of an educational infrastructure that is grounded in research and data to facilitate our focus of meeting the needs of each individual learner. Our K-12 systems will be aligned and well-articulated – transforming our systems to give teachers the support they need to ensure that every child gets what they need to be successful and grow academically every year. And finally, when we open the new Thomas Jefferson High School as scheduled in the Fall of 2018, our students will have the opportunity to attend one of the finest facilities in the state. The future looks very bright in the West Jefferson Hills School District.

Please enjoy this edition of West Jefferson Hills INCommunity, and celebrate the wonderful things that our students have accomplished this past school year. Thank you for your continued support, and I wish you all a healthy and enjoyable summer. It is truly an honor to be a member of the Jaguar family.

With kind regards, Dr. Michael Ghilani, Superintendent