The Shaker Heights City School District welcomes several new members to its leadership team:
District
Sara Cole, Special Education Supervisor for grades 7-12. She was formerly an intervention specialist and special education coordinator. Cole’s areas of expertise include teacher training and literacy programs for struggling readers. She was a teacher in Colorado prior to joining the Shaker faculty in 2005.
Timothy Gesing, Special Education Supervisor for grades PK-6. He joined the Shaker Schools in 1991 as a school psychologist. He has extensive expertise in the assessment of students who may have special needs, as well as the development and management of individualized education plans for students with disabilities.
In their newly created roles, Cole and Gesing will provide training and support to special education teachers and specialists. As supervisors, they will be able to represent the administrative team in the development of individualized education plans for students with special needs.
Lynne S. Kulich, former Coordinator of Instruction for the Massillon City School District, is now Director of Curriculum for the Shaker Heights City School District. In this new position, she will oversee the development of a unified curriculum that provides continuity of instruction, aligns with the new state academic content standards, and leverages the benefits of the International Baccalaureate Programme for all students in grades Pre-K-12.
John J. Rizzo, previously Information and Communication Technology Coordinator for the Mayfield City Schools, is the new Director of Technology and Media Services for the Shaker Heights City School District. In this role, he will set the direction and priorities for technology and library media services for the District, with a focus on supporting the curriculum and integrating technology into instruction. He will also provide oversight for technology-based business functions throughout the District.
Jennifer Weisbarth, Mathematics Coach for grades 5-8. Weisbarth is a former math teacher at Shaker Heights Middle School. Last year, she was an assistant principal at Woodbury Elementary. In her new role, she will help develop a new K-12 math curriculum and work with teachers at Woodbury and the Middle School to improve math instruction.
Stephen M. Wilkins, formerly chief operations officer of a large school district outside Atlanta, is now Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations for the Shaker Heights City School District. He will be responsible for oversight of facilities, maintenance and custodial services, human resources, transportation, and food service. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Wilkins spent 27 years in the Army, serving for several years in operations management at the Pentagon.
Woodbury Elementary School
Mark Lenczewski, Guidance Counselor at Woodbury Elementary School. In this newly created role, Lenczewski will create a guidance program at Woodbury under the direction of Principal Danny Young, who is himself a former guidance counselor. This initiative will assist students with the academic and social challenges of early adolescence and the transitions from 4th to 5th and 6th to 7th grades. He has worked as a counselor in the elementary and middle grades at the Garfield Heights and Westlake schools.
Douglas Myles, Assistant Principal at Woodbury Elementary School. Myles is a former English teacher and assistant principal at Shaker Heights Middle School. His notable accomplishments include a leadership role in teacher evaluation and the creation of an after-school homework tutoring center at the Middle School. He has also served for three years as principal of the Summer Academy program for rising 9th graders.
Shaker Heights Middle School
David Glasner, who served as principal of the Urban Assembly Academy of Government and Law, a public high school in New York, takes on the role of Shaker Heights Middle School principal. Glasner holds a BA and an MA in history from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in secondary school social studies education from Teachers College, Columbia University, as well as administrative certification from the College of Saint Rose.
Robert Rea, Assistant Principal at Shaker Heights Middle School. Rea, a Shaker resident and parent, was most recently assistant principal at Heritage Middle School in Painesville. He began his education career in 1997 and has worked primarily with middle-years students.
Shaker Heights High School
Bryan Drost, Assistant Principal at Shaker Heights High School. Drost has been a Spanish teacher in the Perry and Solon school districts. He holds a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Kent State University and has served as an instructor at Kent State and Hiram College.
Jon Moorehead II, Dean of Students at Shaker Heights High School. In this newly created role, Moorehead will handle student discipline and help establish a restorative justice program at the High School. He comes to Shaker from Harvard University, where he was a visiting fellow with the Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations. He has been a student advisor and program coordinator at both the secondary and postsecondary levels.