Sewickley Academy Announces New Head of Senior School

Sewickley Academy is excited to announce that Dr. Jon Cassie will be the new head of Senior School beginning July 1.

Cassie will come to the Academy from the Milken Community High School in Los Angeles, where he currently serves as assistant head of school and dean of students for grades 9-12. Prior to Milken, he was the Pre-K-12 history department chair at Greenhill School in Dallas, Texas.

A native of Rhode Island, Cassie earned his bachelor's degree in history and classics at the University of Massachusetts. He continued his studies at Ohio State University, where he completed his master's degree in history. Cassie recently earned his doctorate in educational leadership at UCLA and wrote his dissertation on student culture in schools.

Colleagues describe Cassie as an “incredibly smart, passionate, kid-centered, and mission-focused educator.”

His references also universally praise him for the strong relationships he builds with faculty, students, and parents. faculty members who served on the search committee stated that: “Dr. Cassie’s statement of educational philosophy was especially compelling, perhaps particularly for the way in which he clearly articulated the benefit of seeking connections among disciplines.”

They added, “Our school is moving forward, […] and we like the notion of partnering with Dr. Cassie to see where we can go together as professionals committed to realizing the Academy’s educational vision.”

“We are so pleased that an educator of Jon’s caliber and experience emerged from our nationwide search and will be joining our learning community,” says Head of School Kolia O’Connor. “Jon’s passion and energy for education will help us continue to move our school forward.”

Dr. Cassie and his partner, John Mundy, look forward to learning about Pittsburgh and all that makes our area among the “best places to live.”

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This article was submitted by Sewickley Academy. Have news you'd like to share with Patch readers? Email information and photos to Sewickley Patch Editor Larissa Dudkiewicz at larissa.dudkiewicz@patch.com.