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Mr. James Donnelly, on behalf of the
Board of Directors of the Pennsylvanian Association of Elementary and
Secondary School Principals, has been selected as Pennsylvania’s 2008 High
School Principal of the year.
Mr. Donnelly serves approximately 1,200
students at Chichester High School. Mr. Donnelly distinguished himself
early in his career. After graduating from Philadelphia College of Pharmacy
and Science in May of 1992 with a Bachelor of Science in biology and four
different certifications; Biology for grades 6-12, chemistry for grades
6-12, general science for grades 6-12, and environment education k-12 Mr.
Donnelly was hired as a long-term substitute at Enfield Middle School
(Springfield-Montgomery Township SD) where he taught 6 and 8 grade science
and coached middle school baseball.
In fall of 1993 Mr. Donnelly was hired
to teach science at Chichester High School were he taught Advanced Biology,
Honors Biology, Academic Biology, General Biology, Academic Chemistry,
Environmental Science, and was crucial in the implementation of the high
school’s Allied-Health program. During this time he attended Widener
University where he earned his Master’s in Educational Leadership in
December 1997. He received his secondary principal certification in Feb1999
where he graduated with honors and is a member of the Kappa Delta Pi
International Honor Society.
Within in five years of teaching at
Chichester Mr. Donnelly was recognized with the National Honor Society
“Dedication” Award in the 1996. In 1998 he received the “Celebrate
Excellence in Science Teaching” Award. He was nominated for the
Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year Award in 2001. Mr. Donnelly also served as
the district’s science chairman where he was responsible for the k-12
science curriculum.
Mr. Donnelly was hired as an assistant
principal for grades 9 & 10 beginning of the 2002-03 school. He shortly
became High School’s building principal in February 2003.
Since then, he has spear-headed many
curriculum changes and including Reading Enrichment, Math Enrichment, and
multiple special education initiatives.
Mr. Donnelly’s performance as a high
school level building administrator made it a clear choice to represent
Pennsylvania in this role.
Mr. Donnelly’s name has been submitted
to the National Association for inclusion. Should he win this additional
honor he will be awarded a $5,000.00 grant (from Metlife) to be used to
improve learning at the school; including but not limited to a special
project and/or professional development opportunities.
Mr. Donnelly was honored at the PAESSP
State Conference which will be held October 19-21, 2008 at the Sheraton
Station Square Hotel, Pittsburg, PA.
We, the Chichester community, are proud
to honor Mr. James Donnelly as he represents all Pennsylvania principals as
the 2008 Pennsylvania Principal-of-the-Year. |
Mrs. Nicole Athey earned the distinction
of Pennsylvania High School Guidance Counselor of the Year through the
Pennsylvania School Counselors Association (PSCA).
Mrs. Athey serves approximately 350
students as a Guidance Counselor at Chichester High School. Mrs. Athey
distinguished herself early in her school counseling career. In her first
year, she compiled a comprehensive manual of referral sources and
distributed it district wide to colleagues. She also authored a ten-page
informational guide to assist students with disabilities transitioning to
post secondary education. This resource was shared with the guidance and
special education departments and became the basis for transitioning
services at the high school for students contemplating 2-year or 4-year
colleges. This year, Mrs. Athey has been studying Family Educational Rights
and Privacy Act (FERPA) laws and created a resource for teachers. She
intends to present the information at a future faculty meeting.
Mrs. Athey is an Executive Board Member
and founding member of the Delaware County School Counselors Association (DCSCA)
which had its first successful year in 2007-2008. DCSCA provides in-service
and networking opportunities to counselors in the entire county, which is
comprised of 15 school districts. Their mission is “To promote excellence
in the profession of school counseling in service to students”. Currently,
the organization has over 100 members. Mrs. Athey is the Vice-President of
this association.
Mrs. Athey is the coordinator of the
School to Work Program, PSAT test, and assists with the Student Advisory
Board in coordination with Judge Griffin at the Linwood Courthouse. She
received her Bachelor’s degree in 1999 from Temple University and her
Masters in Education in Counseling Psychology with Secondary School
Certification from Temple University in 2002. She has been employed with
the Chichester School District for the past six years.
We, the Chichester community, are proud
to honor Mrs. Nicole Athey as she represents Pennsylvania as the 2008 High
School Guidance Counselor-of-the-Year. |
