Board Welcomes New Superintendent
Wagner Marseille will be the new superintendent of the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District.
“A visionary, innovative educational leader who will take this district to new heights.”
That was Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board President David Grande’s assessment of Wagner Marseille, who will assume the role of district superintendent on July 1. The board, which has been engaged in an intensive search process since current superintendent Lisa Palmer announced her retirement in December, unanimously voted to approve Marseille’s selection at its April 12 meeting.
“This is a highly sought-after district,” Grande said, alluding to the strength of the candidate pool. Twelve finalists were interviewed, according to the board’s vice president, Kelly Wachtman, who called Marseille “the best match for Wallingford-Swarthmore in 2021 and beyond.” In welcoming Marseille to the district, Wachtman cited his “energy, positivity, and growth mindset,” as well as his “spirit of innovation and possibility.”
Marseille is currently superintendent of the Cheltenham School District, a position he has held since 2015. He was a classroom teacher and a coach before becoming an assistant principal in the Lower Merion School District. He then served in a variety of other roles at Lower Merion, including director of secondary education, assistant superintendent, and acting superintendent.
Born in Haiti, Marseille moved to Princeton, New Jersey, as a young boy, according to the Cheltenham School District’s website. He attended Fairleigh Dickinson University on an athletic scholarship, earning a Bachelor of Science in finance. He then earned a master’s in educational leadership at Rider University, and a doctorate in educational and organizational leadership at the University of Pennsylvania.
In brief remarks to the board, Marseille talked about growing up in Princeton. “I’ve come a long way from that kid who sat in the back of the room, quiet as a mouse, hoping that my teacher wouldn’t call on me,” he said. “Now,” he joked, “you can’t get me to be quiet once I’m behind a podium.”
Marseille stressed the importance of telling stories as a way of making connections, saying, “I often wonder what the world would be like if we took the opportunity to listen.” He said that he is looking forward to creating “brave spaces to share those stories,” and that he is passionate about creating conditions to support faculty and staff in exploring “new and bold” ways of teaching.
Marseille’s starting annual salary will be $230,000.
Middle and High School Students Are Back Full Time
April 12 was the first day of full-time in-person instruction at Strath Haven Middle School and Strath Haven High School since last March, when the schools shut because of the coronavirus. “We had a great day,” said high school principal Greg Hilden, adding, “It felt like school.”
Slideshow photos provided by Kai Lincke
Hilden also reported that approximately 760 of the district’s 1,239 high school students attended school in person on Monday. Over 800 had elected to return full time, he said, but about 40 were absent.
More than 400 students have opted to remain, for now, in the district’s Online Academy. Hilden said he expects that more will switch to in-person school as an increasing number of students and their families get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Hilden reported that the newly instituted 10-minute “wellness breaks,” which students take on a rotating basis between about 11:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m., went well on Monday. He noted that the school has put dots on the hallway floors to remind students to stay at least 6 feet apart, and that some students stayed in the classrooms, while others used the hallways for socializing or eating. “One young man ate two sandwiches,” he said.
Summer Music Program
The district’s annual summer music program will run from June 21 to July 15 this year, which will be its 40th. The music department chair, Henry Pearlberg, reported that the program — which is open to all students who live in the school district — will add instruction in bucket drumming, ukulele, and steel drums to its usual offering of traditional orchestral and band instruments. For the second time, a children’s chorus will also be offered.
The music program will be offered in person at Strath Haven Middle School, but families who prefer to have their children attend virtually will have that option, Pearlberg said.
He also announced that the school district has been named one of the best communities for music education in the country by NAMM, a foundation funded by the National Association of Music Merchants. There were 686 such districts recognized across the country in 2021.
