BTSD Makes Administrative Changes for New School Year

When students walk through the schools in Bristol Township School District this year, they will see new administrators who all have established histories in the District.

“We are fortunate to have these talented administrators in our District. No matter what school they are in, each administrator is committed to supporting the education and well-being of our students,” said Superintendent Melanie Gehrens.

Steve Pierce

Steve Pierce was appointed as acting assistant principal of Armstrong Middle School after the sudden passing of Cathy Karasakal. Prior to this position, Pierce served as a school counselor at Armstrong for three years.

“I am looking forward to working with the parents, faculty, staff and most importantly, our students,” he said. “My goal is to continue to support the great work at Armstrong and promote positive growth academically, socially and emotionally among our students.”

Pierce’s start in the District was teaching biology and science courses at Truman High School before transitioning into the role of secondary school counselor at Truman. During his tenure, he was also the dean of students for the Bristol Township Summer School Program for six years, and coached numerous school sports including wrestling and track and field.

Jon Craig

Jon Craig will be starting his 16th year in the District as the assistant principal for Truman High School. His most recent position was as an instructional coach at Truman and Mill Creek Elementary School.

Craig served in many positions in the District including social studies teacher at Truman and Armstrong Middle School, coach for Armstrong’s wrestling, and track and field teams, and Truman’s Social Studies Department Chair. Throughout his career at Truman, he coached varsity football for a total of nine years, including three years as the head football coach from 2014-2016.

“I am very much looking forward to joining the strong leadership team already in place at Truman that continues to look for ways to better serve our school community. Whether through the removal of obstacles, relentless support or anything in between, I am excited to help our staff blaze a pathway of success for the student body here at Truman, whether that be through college and university paths, technical careers, military service or the workforce,” said Craig. “We have an opportunity to do great things here, and I, like many of the great people here at Truman, are extremely excited to roll up our sleeves and get to work on the 2019-2020 school year. Go Tigers!”

Mark Wilicki

As a principal in the District for 11 years, Mark Wilicki returned to Keystone Elementary School as principal. After Keystone Principal George Ciarrocchi passed away in May of 2019, the District moved Wilicki from principal of Mill Creek Elementary School to Keystone. Wilicki served as principal of five schools in the past five years. He served as acting principal of Brookwood Elementary School and also assistant principal of Keystone when it first opened.

“Although all three of the elementary schools are awesome, I'm happy to be returning to Keystone this year and am looking forward to working with the school community,” said Wilicki. “My goal has always been to improve the school in any way that I can by creating a safe and friendly learning environment, and I hope to do that at Keystone this year.”

Terrie Giardine

With Wilicki’s move to Keystone, Terrie Giardine returned to Mill Creek Elementary School as interim principal until a permanent principal is hired. She served as principal of Mill Creek for two years and retired in September of 2018. She frequently volunteered with the Mill Creek Reading Olympics Team and the Mill Creek Recyclers.

““I am thrilled to be back with the Mill Creek parents, students, faculty and staff,” said Giardine. “I enjoy facilitating learning opportunities and working on promoting student success.”

Giardine first came to the Bristol Township School District as the principal of Lincoln Elementary in September of 2006. She was principal of Lincoln for six years and also principal of Emerson Elementary for four years.

Chris Schoettle

Former assistant principal of Truman High School, Chris Schoettle is now the assistant principal of Mill Creek Elementary School. His career at Bristol Township School District began as a mathematics teacher for eight years at Truman. He also served as assistant principal at Clara Barton Elementary and James Buchanan Elementary, and acting principal at Clara Barton, George Washington Elementary, Abraham Lincoln Elementary, FDR Middle School and Armstrong Middle School for various times and lengths. Schoettle hopes to one day be given the opportunity to serve as principal.

“I look forward to the opportunity to partner with the parents, teachers and community to provide the students with a fun, positive and outstanding learning experience,” said Schoettle.