HEADLINING

Hempfield Area School District
Message from Dr. Barbara J. Marin, Superintendent
Dear Parents, Guardians, and
Community Members,
It is my pleasure to welcome you back to a
brand new school year. The summer
months seem to go by more rapidly than
any other time of year. Our administrators
have been busy working on their master
schedules, updating handbooks, and
finalizing staff and student assignments.
Throughout the summer, many of our
teachers and administrators have attended
professional development workshops and
participated in meetings to align, revamp,
and enhance curriculum to provide the best
possible instruction for our students. Our
custodial and maintenance staff have been working diligently all summer refurbishing
the buildings and grounds. Soon our staff and students will be back in
their classrooms for another exciting year!
This issue of Headlining Hempfield spotlights numerous academic and athletic
accomplishments that occurred during the previous school year. We continue
to take great pride in the success of our students, the dedication of our staff,
and the steadfast support of our parents and community members.
The first instructional day for students is Monday, August 29th. Please refer to
the district website at wwww.hasdpa.net for the complete Calendar of Events.
I encourage you to contact me via email at marinb@hasdpa.net or by phone at
724-850-2231, if I can be of assistance to you in any way. Best wishes for an
exciting, productive, and outstanding 2016-2017 school year!
Sincerely,
Barbara J. Marin, Ed. D.
Hempfield Area School District
Superintendent of Schools
New Faces in the Principal’s Offices
Mr. John Behrendt has officially assumed the role of principal at Stanwood Elementary
School. Mr. Behrendt has been employed by the Hempfield Area
School District for eleven years and has been the interim principal at Stanwood
Elementary School since December 2015. His previous administrative
responsibilities include serving as the principal of Bovard Elementary School,
substitute Assistant Principal at Hempfield Area High School, and Director of
Crossroads Alternative School. His teaching experiences include regular and
special education. Mr. Behrendt previously taught sixth grade at Harrold Middle
School and fifth grade at Stanwood. He also taught special education at the
Clariton City School District, prior to coming to Hempfield. He earned a B.A.
and M.Ed. from California University
of Pennsylvania. Mr. Behrendt
resides in Monongahela with his wife,
Cathleen, and their three children,
Chad, Spencer, and Allie.
Mr. Christopher Brasco has been
appointed as the new principal of
West Hempfield Elementary School,
replacing Mr. Randall Sarnelli who
retired at the end of June. Mr. Brasco
has been employed by the Hempfield
Area School District for the past ten
Mr. John Behrendt Mr. Christopher Brasco Mr. Gregory Saraceni
years as a middle school and high school assistant principal. Prior to coming to
Hempfield, he served as a principal, administrative assistant, and third grade
teacher in the Jeannette City School District. Mr. Brasco earned a B.A. in
Elementary Education from Bethany College and a M.Ed. from California
University of Pennsylvania. He resides in North Huntingdon with his family Kelly,
Santino, and Quinn.
New to Hempfield, we welcome Mr. Gregory Saraceni who will be replacing Mr.
Brasco as assistant principal at Hempfield Area High School. Mr. Saraceni
comes to Hempfield from the Penn Trafford School District where he served in
the capacity of Assistant Principal and test coordinator at the high school for the
past three years. Prior to that, he
taught high school English, and
served as the English department
chair, and head teacher. He earned
his B.A. in English Writing from
the University of Pittsburgh at
Greensburg and earned his M.Ed. in
Administrative Supervision from
Saint Vincent College. Mr. Saraceni
resides in Greensburg with his wife,
Brandie, and their four children,
Bailey, Tanner, Mia and Addy.
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