Swindler fills one post with three people
The recent appointment of Jimmy Swindler to the position of Rappahannock County High School principal resulted in a unique opportunity for innovation in filling the assistant principal position — a post Swindler held the previous two years.
“Our school division is extremely fortunate to have a large number of staff who are already qualified, or becoming qualified, to serve in administrative leadership roles,” explained Swindler. “We wanted to tap into the talents of as many staff members as possible, to grow our leaders from within, in seeking to fill this position.”
The position of Administrative Assistant was posted internally within the school division following Swindler's appointment as principal and quickly produced a pool of eight highly qualified applicants.
“With such a large number of quality candidates, the final recommendations for the position were driven not only by the overall qualifications of the individual candidates, all of which were superb, but by a match of necessary skill sets for the various needs of the position as well,” said Swindler.
After extensive interviewing and intensive deliberation, three applicants rose to the top of the process as a cohesive team that will carry out the various tasks and fill the leadership roles that will be required by this position. And now the School Board has approved Jason Guira, Michelle Papa, and Scott Schlosser as the first teams to serve in this new administrative role at RCHS.
Guira is a graduate of James Madison University, currently working towards his Masters in Administration and Supervision from Averett University.
Papa is a graduate of State University of New York, Oneonta and also holds a Master’s Degree from Long Island University.
Schlosser is a graduate of California University of Pennsylvania, holds a Master’s Degree from Ball State University, and is working towards another Master’s Degree in Administration and Supervision from Averett University.
All three will continue to fulfill their existing responsibilities at RCHS, sharing the responsibilities and roles of their new administrative position.
While the final breakdown of duties for the new Administrative Assistants is still in development, Swindler and his staff are putting a process in place to ensure the success of this dynamic team approach to what is traditionally a solitary position. The combined energies of the high school’s new leadership team are sure to produce a creative synergy that will fuel an even more exciting school year not only for students and staff at the high school, but for the division and the Rappahannock community as a whole.