On Monday, December 20, the official website of North Allegheny School District will have a new look and feel. For more than a year, the District has been working with various staff and parent/guardian groups to guide the new design, and we are really excited to launch! Stay tuned!

According to CDC guidelines, students that are fully vaccinated are not required to quarantine if they are considered a close contact with a positive COVID case. The main goal of this school year is to maintain in-person learning as much as possible. If your child has been vaccinated, please submit proof of vaccination to your student’s school nurse to avoid future quarantines.  

Thank you for your assistance and if you have any questions, please reach out to your school nurse.

Dr. James Bradley, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education, will be on a temporary leave of absence. His leave will extend into the second semester. I know each of you joins us in wishing Dr. Bradley the very best.

 

At the Wednesday, December 8 School Board meeting, the Board voted to appoint Dr. Michele Dowell as the Substitute Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education effective January 3, 2022. In the interim, Dr. Friez will provide support to our elementary school administration, staff, and students.

 

Dr. Dowell is our current Director of Student Services. Dr. Dowell most recently served as the Superintendent of Schools for the Belle Vernon Area School District. Prior to her role as the Superintendent, Dr. Dowell served as an Elementary Principal for the Belle Vernon Area School District where she led 70 staff and 660 students. Dr. Dowell received a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Science in Special Education from Old Dominion University, holds a Special Education Supervision/Principal certificate from Duquesne University, obtained her Superintendent’s Letter of Eligibility from the California University of Pennsylvania, and received a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Youngstown State University.

 

This leaves a temporary vacancy for the Director of Student Services role. Dr. Dan Swoger will assume the role of Interim Director of Student Services. Dr. Swoger is currently the principal of Marshall Middle School. He started his career as a special education teacher in the Allegheny Valley School District. During his time at Allegheny Valley, he was also a High School Assistant Principal and Director of Special Education. In 2013, Dr. Swoger joined the North Allegheny School District as the assistant principal for Ingomar Middle School. Dr. Swoger received his Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary/Special Education from St. Francis University in 2004 and completed his Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Gannon University in 2010. Dr. Swoger obtained his Special Education Supervisor Certificate in 2011 and his Pennsylvania Principal’s Certificate in 2012 and has completed his superintendent letter of eligibility course work through Gannon University. Most recently, Dr. Swoger earned his doctoral degree through Point Park University. This is effective January 3, 2022.

 

During Dr. Swoger’s time in the role of Interim Director of Student Services, Mr. Matthew Buchak, current Assistant Principal of Marshall Middle School, will assume the role of Interim Principal of Marshall Middle School. He started his teaching career in the state of Hawaii and returned to Pennsylvania as a special education teacher at the Allegheny Valley School District. Mr. Buchak was hired as a special education teacher at North Allegheny Senior High School in 2009. He later became one of the assistant principals at NASH. Mr. Buchak received his Bachelor of Science in Elementary and Special Education from Saint Francis University, a Master’s in Education and Principal Certification K-12 from California University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Buchak is a veteran of the US Army Reserves serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 2021-2022 school year marks Mr. Buchak’s 20th year in education.

 

A lead teacher role will be posted to assist Mr. Buchak with day-to-day operations at Marshall Middle School.

  

We are thankful for the interest in serving in these roles by Dr. Dowell, Dr. Swoger, and Mr. Buchak. Please join us in congratulating them.