Three elementary schools in the school district of Lancaster are getting new principals for the upcoming school year.
Abby Lavery, Wickersham Elementary
Lavery is currently interim principal at Washington Elementary, though she served for the past two school years as assistant principal at Wheatland Middle School. She has spent her entire career in the School District of Lancaster, joining the district in 2009 as a social studies teacher at then-Hand (now Jackson) Middle School, where she taught for nine years.
Lavery is the first former intern from the district’s Principal Residency program to be appointed as a full-time principal. The principal residency program pairs aspiring administrators in our district with veteran principals for mentorship and coaching, and it provides professional development and relevant coursework through Millersville University.
“I am very excited to grow and support the Wickersham Elementary community,” Lavery said. “By working collaboratively with students, staff, caretakers and community members, we can ensure our students are developing academically, socially and emotionally. I’m #wickproud!”
Amy Martz, Smith-Wade-El Elementary
Martz is a familiar face to Smith-Wade-El, since she has served as interim principal at SWE since November. Martz came to SWE from McCaskey High School, where she was associate principal and before that assistant principal since 2016.
“I am honored to continue to serve the faculty, students, and community at Smith-Wade-El and build on the work we started this year,” Martz said. “We strive to make each day a positive learning experience for our young scholars.”
Martz is a certified elementary teacher, English as a second language teacher and principal. She has previously taught in the Reading School District, as well as at the collegiate level.
Jennifer Pahl, King Elementary
Pahl is currently an assistant principal at William Penn High School in York. She began her career in the York City School District as a second grade teacher in the Spanish Immersion Program at Devers Elementary. She also taught as a Tier III intervention teacher for five years.
Born and raised in Bronx, N.Y., Ms. Pahl holds a master’s degree in special education from McDaniel (Md.) College and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with an ESL certificate from Penn State Harrisburg. She also completed the Urban Leadership Grant Program and earned an administrative certificate from Shippensburg University. She lives in Lancaster.
“I am looking forward to working with the King Elementary School community to increase student achievements and raise the bar of excellence in education,” Pahl said. “This will be done through being resourceful, student-focused and solution oriented. We will work together to empower our students to maximize their leadership gifts they bring to the learning environment.”