Dr. Janet Sardon officially began serving the West Jefferson Hills School District community as superintendent on August 8. The WJHSD Board appointed her to lead the district in a unanimous vote in June. A district resident for most of her life, Dr. Sardon is a Thomas Jefferson High School graduate. She brings nearly 30 years of public education experience to the district, beginning her career as a special education teacher and serving as superintendent of the Yough School District since 2011 prior to her WJH appointment. Dr. Sardon sat down for a Q&A earlier this summer prior to starting with WJHSD. When you began your career in educational leadership, were you hopeful there'd be an opportunity to serve your alma mater? And how excited are you to get started? Early on in my career I wasn't sure, other than being a principal, where I was really headed as far as leadership goes. As time went on, I found that one of the most important parts of leadership is being able to give back to the community and to the people that you work with. Mentoring and giving back has always been a part of my leadership style. Being able to come back to West Jefferson Hills, a place that has given me so much since I was very young, is an exciting part of what I believe to be important. To be able to come back here and work with people and mentor people and collaborate, communicate is exciting. I'm really looking forward to being able to mentor people, collaborate and communicate for the best interest of our schools and community. I'm excited to start the excellent work that we're going to continue to do in the district, as well as work together as a team to do great things. What are some of the things that you've been doing to assist with your transition since being appointed in June? I’ve had the ability to meet with the administrative team. To this point, I've met all the principals, I've met all of the central office administrators, I've had the ability to meet some teachers. I spent some time at Jefferson Hills Community Day (and later Pleasant Hills Community Day) where I was able to meet some of the parents and community members and it was a really good day. I think the most important piece is getting to know the people that are living and breathing within the community. I've spent a great deal of time looking at different resources within the district: our budgetary resources, our fiscal numbers and enrollment. That's been a big thing, looking at the enrollment to see kind of where we're headed as a district, knowing that our enrollment is the second-fastest growing in the county, and really one of the fastest-growing across the state (20th). And then looking at PSSAs, Keystones, MAP scores and other achievement scores to see how we're achieving as a district. What should district students, their families and the community expect from you, as the superintendent? They should expect me to be visible within the community; within the schools. They should expect me to not only be visible, but also to build good, solid relationships with staff, teachers, students, bus drivers, community members and businesses, because I value those relationships and that collaboration. I think if we're all working together, that it benefits our students and our community and our businesses, so they should expect that visibility, they should expect good solid relationship building and collaboration. They should expect that I will be transparent. In all schools, in all aspects of education, there's always things that come up that need to be addressed. Transparency is an important part of who I am and what I do. I will also be taking the time to immerse myself in the district and evaluate our different programs to determine what we're doing well and what areas we can work to become better. I think that total culture scan is an important part of learning a new educational system as a leader. As a Pleasant Hills, and Jefferson Hills resident for most of your life, and the parent of a TJ graduate, you already have a great sense for the district and what's happening in the district. What have been some of your observations of the strengths of the district through the years? There's a couple of things that really stand out in West Jefferson Hills The first one is our school pride and tradition. I think whether I was in school here, my daughter was in school here, everybody was always proud to be a TJ Jaguar. So that school pride and tradition is something that makes West Jefferson Hills stand out. The second would be our parental, family and community support. There's not a day that goes by that I don't see parents out there promoting one another or working together for the benefit of somebody that maybe needs help, so that camaraderie among community and parents and families really is important. And it's not just helping when in need; if you look at our PTAs within the district at McClellan and Gill Hall Elementary, our TJ Connections at the high school, you look at the band booster groups, all of those groups are made up of parents who are dedicated not only to their children, because there are people who are volunteering with those groups that don't necessarily have children here in the district anymore, but are committed to our school community. The final aspect that stands out, and I've thought this for many years, is we value academic achievement. This is an area that we hold high and have high standards. We also value looking at the whole child and making sure social health, mental health, all of those things are a part of achievement within the district. We do not just focus on the standardized test scores. It's about looking at the whole child, looking at our extracurricular activities, and really providing an experience for children, that they can be successful in whatever they choose. What are some potential short and long term priorities or initiatives, once you get started as superintendent? The district has to put together a comprehensive plan. A short-term goal is putting together a comprehensive plan, which is really going to be our long-term plan over the course of the next five years. I will work with the administrators, the assistant superintendents and the school board in developing the comprehensive plan. The plan will be one of the first initiatives and that will lead back to the collaboration piece because you have business, community, parents, students, all involved in that process. The plan will cover academic achievement and all the different areas and departments within the district. The goal will be to use this as a working document that lasts over that five-year period that's continuously updated, that will allow us to plan the next five years. This will be a critical piece of what we do in the district. Another short-term goal will be to get out into the community and meet with a variety of organizations. So, whether it be the Chamber of Commerce, a borough planning meeting, Rotary, any number of those meetings, where we can start making connections with the community is going to be really important. Making connections with our emergency management personnel and chiefs of police and fire departments; those are all important connections. Finally, getting to know the staff will be a priority. It's important to me to get to know the staff, the teachers and students. Getting to know people - who they are, what they teach, what are their goals.? Knowing people is an important piece of everyone effectively working together. Were there any teachers as you came up through West Jefferson Hills as a student that sparked your interest in becoming an educator? I had an elementary school teacher that I really liked – Mrs. (Sue) Startari. And I just remember from early on in elementary school that she had a way about her that was caring and nurturing. You wanted to tell her the good things you were doing, and she made you feel good about it. She taught and you learned from her and what she taught she did in a creative and engaging way. I was in the band (clarinet, oboe and mellophone). So I had Mr. DeFade, Mr. Slate, and Mr. Sellaro, they were my middle/high school band teachers. I clearly remember those experiences. My first band concert and how nervous I was and how proud my parents were is a clear early memory from my schooling. Those types of experiences have a big impact, because it's something that you remember 25 years later and longer. I had an English teacher at the high school, Ruth Weingart. I remember her and I believe I had her for my senior year of English. We read some books, I think “Great Gatsby” was one of them, “To Kill a Mockingbird” was another. And she was able to take some literature that on my own, I probably wouldn't have read, but she made it interesting and fun and something enjoyable. I can see her sitting in her chair; I remember that class and her impact. Do you have a favorite memory or two from your time as a WJH student? I can start with the football games, because TJ is well known for their Friday night football games. I remember those from being in the band; you marched and you cheered everybody on. As I think about schooling, I clearly remember middle school; I walked to the middle school because I live close enough to walk. I remember every year the excitement I had on the first day of school because, and this is ridiculous, we would get a white and green laminated folder. It was the nicest folder you'd ever see. Inside of the folder, it had all the rules, all the bell schedules, had all the information you needed to know. It was back so long ago it was when they were called the Wildcats. It had a map of the building so you knew where all the classrooms were. As a student you used that folder all year and had all the information you needed. With kids, that's important, because transitions are nerve-wracking for kids. It's something that made my middle school, which is a very challenging time, that much easier. There is one more memory. Pleasant Hills Elementary did a fifth grade show. I remember my part in the show was to run up on the stage and be able to jump in the air and click my heels as we sang the Rainbow Connection! So when you do have some free time, what do you like to do? My husband (Robert) and I like to camp. We’ve progressed, so we now have a pull-behind small camper. We enjoy camping with our two border collies and my daughter (Arionna) who comes when she's home. It's a time where it's peaceful. Usually when you go camping, technology doesn't work because you're in the middle of nowhere and there's some relaxation to that. I am an avid exerciser; probably five days a week. I ride a spin bike. I run; I’ve run in some half marathons. Sometimes I run around the high school track or around the school, so if people see me, stop me and say “Hi.” I also do some Yoga and weightlifting…I try to do a variety of exercises. It helps keep stress levels down and keeps your brain active and working the way it should to be able to be the best leader I can be. I also enjoy crafting and making things. This is another means of stress relief. Trying to keep balance; one of the more important things about being a superintendent is your ability to be balanced between work and home and finding that happy medium.

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