Dr. J wins Principal of the Year award

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Hawk Eye staff

Dr. Jansante at his desk. Dr. Jansante recently won the PA Principal of the Year award.

“This [school] has given me so much, and I am so honored [to win this award].”

Dr. Jansante was recently named the 2014 Pennsylvania Principal of the Year by the Pennsylvania Association of Elementary and Secondary Principals.

Dr. J has led BPHS as principal for eight great years (since October 2006), and he isn’t stopping anytime soon.

His long, successful career didn’t start at Bethel Park. In fact, he was former principal at Mt. Lebanon, Quaker Valley, and Elizabeth Forward; he was also assistant principal at Baldwin and Quaker Valley.

“I wasn’t set on being a principal,” Dr. J said.  “It wasn’t until my fourth year of seven teaching when my principal, Dr. Knight, convinced me to give it a try. I have gained much from my experience.  Each and every day it has been a blessing to be able to work with young people and with such great professionals such as our teaching staff.  I have also had the pleasure to work with great fellow administrators.  I could not be more pleased with my past experiences.”

Dr. J has influenced and helped many students in their academic, athletic, and musical careers. His time as principal at BPHS has been palpable.

“Under my tenure, we have grown exponentially.  This growth has not been just because of me but because of the students and staff.  We moved from a 50 year old campus style high school into a state of the art single building.  This “green” building is an award winning building.  The design of the classrooms and educational locations were created by the experience afforded to me and the staff.  We worked collaboratively on the project and created the best high school on this side of the state.  In the classroom, we moved from a teacher-centered lesson to a student-centered lesson with student performance as the centerpiece.  You can’t get the Bethel Park experience at home online or virtually.  Our test scores have moved in the right direction and our school performance is in the top tier.  Our performances outside the classrooms have also grown with district and state athletic championships and Sportsmanship Awards.  Our music and art programs have continued to be great programs with many student and group awards.  Our night school program has a high graduation rate.  There is something for everyone at Bethel Park High School.  We continue to grow and continue to improve.”

The Principal of the Year award is given to principals in secondary, middle, and high schools. Dr. J made history, being the first Bethel Park principal and first high school principal since 2006 to win the award. He also has some bragging rights against the principals.

“I love Bethel Park. It has been an honor to serve this great school as the High School Principal.”

Dr. J hopes to continue to serve as BPHS principal for years to come.

“I have learned that education is a journey…a journey that I don’t want to end,” he said.

 

Dr. J