LOYALTON - A former Halifax educator and coach has been selected as the new Upper Dauphin Area Middle School principal.
Jared W. Shade will begin serving the district July 1 at an annual salary of $77,000. He was chosen from among 22 applicants for the position vacated when Mike Sim, the outgoing middle school principal, resigned to return to East Pennsboro.
The Upper Dauphin Area school board gave Shade the nod during its May 29 committee meeting.
Shade, Dalmatia, previously served as an emotional support teacher at Halifax Area High School since 2008 and was the head coach of Halifax's state championship archery teams.
A UDA graduate, Shade received a bachelor's degree in psychology from Kutztown University in 2000; his master's in exceptionalities from Bloomsburg University in 2010; and is in the Principal's Certification Program at Temple University until December 2014.
Upper Dauphin Area Superintendent Evan Williams explained Shade's experience with a student character-building program was one of the reasons he became the front-runner.
"The district was very sorry to see Mr. Sim leave; however, we certainly understand what drew him home to East Pennsboro. Mr. Sim had begun a character improvement initiative this school year as part of the school climate work he did to build upon what had been done previously," Williams said.
"UDASD wants to build upon the good work done over the past decade, and our desire, for which we advertised, was someone with 'demonstrated ability to improve student achievement' and 'experience with school-wide positive behavior support and character education.' "
Williams said the 22 applications for the post were paper-screened and then six individuals were selected for interviews. One of the individuals declined.
"We held two rounds of interviews, and Jared emerged as the leading candidate because of his experience with the Discovery Program in place in the Halifax Area School District, and his outstanding recommendations from the Halifax administrative team, individuals highly respected, and in the case of (Superintendent) Mr. Robert Hassinger, renowned for their work in character education."
Although Hassinger was unhappy to be losing Shade, he also gave him his highest recommendation and commended him for his "willingness to take on responsibility."
In his recommendation for Shade's employment, Halifax Area High School Principal David Hatfield said that Shade understands what it means to be a leader.
"Parents in our community comment on how fortunate we are to have such a dedicated role model for our students," Hatfield said.
Shade will be one among other new faces greeting middle school pupils when they return in the fall.