Board of education approves appointment of 3 principals

The Vineland Board of Education on Wednesday approved the appointment of three current administrators to the post of principal and the trio will be in their new jobs when classes for the 2008-2009 school year begin Sept. 4.

Two of them --- Lisa Arena and Jennifer Frederico ---  are moving up from assistant principal to principal at Mennies and Petway Elementary Schools, respectively. The third, David DiCostanzo, will be the principal of the district alternative program, a merger of the alternative high school and Second Chance middle school programs. The combined program will be housed at the Cunningham School building on South East Avenue.

Arena has worked in the district since 1985 and has been assistant principal at Mennies for the past seven years.  Prior to that she was a staff development facilitator and also was a teacher in fourth grade and basic skills.

The new principal earned a bachelor’s degree at Glassboro State College, now Rowan University, where she later earned a master’s degree in administration.

"Having worked at Mennies for many years, I expect a smooth transition,” said Arena,  taking the reins from Annette Rudd, who is retiring July 31. “I am very excited and I look forward to continuing programs already in place and helping new students on their educational journey."
“I plan to continue our work with the Character Education Grant from Rutgers University,” said Arena. “Through this program, our staff and students have created a code of conduct and become better learners.  I also plan to implement the First Day Celebration.  We will have guest speakers who will celebrate learning and motivate the students for the school year. Two of our teachers are creating a list of core characteristics for the children to be good individuals and learners."

Frederico is also moving up, after two years as assistant principal at D’Ippolito Elementary School, to the top post at Petway, where Patricia Phillips is retiring. 

Prior to the D’Ippolito job, Frederico was a district supervisor of language arts and the Learners With Exceptional Abilities (LEAP) program. Before coming to Vineland she worked as the reading specialist at Winslow Township School No. 3. 

The new principal has bachelor’s degrees in sociology and elementary education from Rowan University and master’s degrees in reading education from Rowan and another in educational leadership from Wilmington College.

“I’m very excited to make this move,” she said. “I believe Pat Phillips has done a wonderful job as principal and I hope to continue many of the programs she has instituted.  I have looked at Petway's student achievement and am amazed by what is being done. I hope to continue the attitude that all learners can be successful."

Frederico also said she attended a recent event at the school and was “excited” by the amount of parental involvement at the school. “I look forward to working with parents to continue the level of support for the school,” she said.

DiCostanzo, coordinator of the alternative high school for the past two years, is also excited about his new post and expects “a smooth transition with the combination on the two programs and my new position.  I know many of the students and staff members already and do not foresee any problems."
"We plan to model the current educational system by keeping students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades in a separate wing from the high school students,” he said. “I hope to progress with positive reinforcement with the kids.  Hopefully this will lead to more positive behavior.  However, negative consequences will be given for bad behavior."

Prior to working in the alternative program, DiCostanzo was a social studies teacher at VHS South and later transferred to VHS North.     

The new principal earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and secondary education from Drew University and later acquired a master's degree in educational administration from Ryder University.