Five New Abington School District Administrative Appointments Made at June 13 School Board Meeting

At the June 13, 2017 meeting Dr. Sichel recommended and the School Board approved five new appointments in the Administrative staff:

• Julianne Petersen was appointed Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction.
• Matthew Brenner was appointed Assistant Principal of Copper Beech Elementary School, replacing Ms. Marie Kim, who had been appointed McKinley Elementary School Principal.
• Daniel Oldham was appointed Assistant Principal at Abington Junior High School, replacing Ms. Julianne Petersen.
• LaVonda Daniels was appointed Elementary Curriculum Specialist at Overlook Elementary School, replacing Mr. Joshua Perlman, who had been appointed Overlook Elementary School Principal.
• Kelly Hartnett was appointed Elementary Curriculum Specialist at Rydal Elementary School, replacing Ms. Lyndsay Morgan, who had been appointed Rydal Elementary School Principal.

Ms. Petersen joined Abington in September 1992 as a Social Studies teacher at the Junior High School, becoming Department Chair in July 2002.  In July 2013 she became Supervisor of Social Studies, grades 7 to 12.  In July 2016 she became Assistant Principal at the Junior High School.  Ms. Petersen earned her B.S. in Education and Social Studies from West Chester University and her M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Arcadia University.

Mr. Brenner was hired as a sixth grade teacher at McKinley Elementary School in November 2001.  He also taught first, fourth, and fifth grades.  Mr. Brenner has been a member of the Abington Education Association Board since 2010 and an executive board member since 2004.  Mr. Brenner earned his B.S. in Elementary Education from West Chester University, his M.A. in Education from Temple University, and is currently enrolled in the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program at Temple University.

Mr. Daniel Oldham joined Abington in September 2009 as a second grade teacher at Copper Beech Elementary School.  Prior to Abington, Mr. Oldham taught language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science at Springfield Township Middle School.  In 2013 he became a sixth grade teacher at Copper Beech Elementary School and during the summers of 2014, 2015, and 2016 he was the Administrator/Lead Teacher for the Abington Title I Academic Adventures Summer Program.  Mr. Oldham earned his B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Delaware and his M.S. in Educational Leadership from Delaware Valley University.

Ms. LaVonda Daniels joined Abington in August 2006 as a sixth grade teacher at Highland Elementary School;  she has also taught second, third, fourth and fifth grades.  Prior to joining Abington, Ms. Daniels worked as an Intake Coordinator for Big Sisters of Philadelphia and as a third grade teacher at the Shipley School.  Ms. Daniels earned her B.A. in Human Communications Studies from Howard University, her M.S. in Education from Temple University, her M.S. in Reading from Cabrini College, and her M.S. in Educational Administration from Gwynedd Mercy University.

Ms. Kelly Hartnett joined Abington in September 2005 as a kindergarten teacher at McKinley Elementary School.  Previously she taught third grade in Cheltenham.  In September 2006 she became a first grade teacher at Overlook Elementary School.  She has also taught kindergarten and fifth grade.  Ms. Harnett, an Abington graduate, earned her B.S. in Elementary Education from University of Scranton and her M.S. in Educational Administration from Gwynedd Mercy University.

We congratulate these fine teachers and administrators and wish them much success in their new positions.