Previewing the Spring-Ford School Year Part 1

There are some big changes coming to the Spring-Ford School District this year, and Dr. David Goodin took some time to tell us about several of them. 

The district has revamped the principal system for the 5/6/7th Grade and 8th Grade Centers. Based on the high school's "house principal" system, each center will have a building principal, and each grade a house principal. 

"Because of the size of our district, there's a lot of transitions for our kids," Goodin said. "Until now, they'd go to the 5th and 6th grade center with one principal, the 7th with another, the 8th with another, and in the 9th we started the house principal system."

Goodin said the house principal system works very well in the high school.

"Pat Nugent is the head principal," Goodin said. However, now the ninth grade center will have a building principal, instead of essentially getting a new principal every year.

Each center will now have a permanent building principal, who is responsible for overseeing the operations of the building, while each grade will have a house principal.

"We were so pleased with [the house system], we thought, 'How can we reduce the number of transitions for our middle level kids?'" Goodin explained.

Students in fifth grade this year will have the same house principal through eighth grade, then get a new house principal in ninth grade that will stay with them until graduation. 

The principals are as follows: 

• 5/6/7 Center Building Principal - Heather Nuneviller
  • Grade 5 House Principal - Kathleen Kotch
  • Grade 6 House Principal - Rob Moyer
  • Grade 7 House Principal - Dr. Douglas Kent
• 8th Grade Center Building Principal - Mike Siggins
  • Grade 8 House Principal - Mary Pat Long
• 9th Grade Center Building Principal - Dr. Teresa Weidenbaugh
  • Grade 9 House Principal - Douglas Reigner
• Senior High School Building Principal - Patrick Nugent
  • Grade 10 House Principal - Elaine Ruppert
  • Grade 11 House Principal - Dr. Robert Colyer
  • Grade 12 House Principal - Dr. Jeffrey Kollar

"This allows our principals to build relationships with our families, work with the kids, and get to know the kids," Goodin said. "It will help the families feel more connected to the school."

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our talk with Dr. Goodin, where he tells Patch about the new hybrid learning curriculum debuting at Spring City Elementary School this year.