Mrs. Melissa Petronio is the most recent addition to the Southern Lehigh High School administration team. Several months after former assistant principal Mr. Chad Kinslow’s resignation earlier this year, Mrs. Petronio was hired in January to fill his position. She officially came on board at the high school during the second week of February. Since then, she has enjoyed meeting the school community.
Mrs. Petronio has ample experience as an administrator. Before she was hired at Southern Lehigh, she was assistant principal at Dieruff High School for nine years. In addition to her background as an administrator, Mrs. Petronio taught Algebra I at Allentown School District for 13 years.
Mrs. Petronio believes that her transition to a smaller, suburban school like Southern Lehigh will be a large adjustment from her last professional experience. Nonetheless, she feels up for the challenge. After spending most of her career in one school district, she is looking forward to the experiences her new job can provide.
“I was in the same school district for over 20 years,” Mrs. Petronio said. “I am not one of those people who jump from job to job, but it was time to move on.”
Mrs. Petronio is currently preparing for her new position by taking time to learn the ins-and-outs of the school district. She feels that understanding the school district you are working in is imperative to success as an administrator.
“Whenever you get into a new position, especially a leadership type position, you want to, you know, sit back, learn…observe some things and not make any changes right off the bat,” she said.
Mrs. Petronio believes that getting to know students is an important part of understanding their needs. She aims to make sure every student feels heard and understood.
“I think it’s important that you [as an administrator] listen,” she said. “That is really big for me.”
Mrs. Petronio views her amiable personality as an essential piece of her approach to administration.
“I always say that I would love to be a checkout girl at the grocery store. The reason that I say that is I am very social,” she said. “My husband says I would talk to a wall if I thought it would listen to me.”
Mrs. Petronio’s primary focus as an educator is building relationships with her students and fellow staff members. She explains that building members can expect to find her often greeting students in classrooms or making conversation in the hallway.
Additionally, Mrs. Petronio is also dedicated to supporting students outside of the classroom. As an avid sports fan, she is ecstatic about the opportunity to attend school athletic events.
“I love coming to sporting events because it…shows that I’m here to support you. I [also] like to see students outside of the school and what they’re into what they’re interested in,” she said with a smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t scream too loud.”
Southern Lehigh’s newest assistant principal is especially excited to become part of such a welcoming and spirited school community.
“I see a lot of school pride, whether the athletes are wearing sweatshirts or their T-shirts, which I love to see,” Mrs. Petronio said. “The first impression is that there’s a lot of mutual respect among the staff and students here, which I really like about the relationships that the teachers have with students.”
Outside of her professional life, Mrs. Petronio enjoys going for hikes and binging the latest series on Netflix. Her family life is busy as she is married with three older kids and two dogs. One of her favorite activities is trying new restaurants in the area with her friends and family.
Although Mrs. Petronio may be new to the school district, she wants students to feel comfortable talking to her and to know that her door is always open.
“If you come to my office and you want to talk, I am not going to be on my phone. I am not going to be multitasking,” she said. “I am going to be focused and listen.”
