On November 11, the students and staff of Southern Lehigh High School welcomed Mr. Jason Lilly to fill the assistant principal position vacated in late October by Mr. Mark Covelle. Mr. Lilly immediately felt at home.
“The high school that I went to was very similar to Southern Lehigh, more of a community-type feel,” Mr. Lilly said. “In my first week being here, I felt that everyone was very welcoming to me and very helpful. Whatever I needed, they were willing to jump in and help me.”
Mr. Lilly is excited to have the opportunity to connect and work with students at Southern Lehigh, something that he had been missing in his last job.
“In my previous role as a curriculum director, I only got to work with teachers and principals,” Mr. Lilly said. “So for those three years I really got away from having a whole lot of contact with students.”
This connection to students, as well as the faculty, can vary depending on the administrator. A feeling of comfort and trust usually takes some time to build.
“Each administrator brings with him a unique style of approaching the staff, handling discipline, engaging with the students and interacting with the community at large,” Spanish teacher Mrs. Joan Imms-Geiser said. “Certainly it will take some time to build a rapport with Mr. Lilly like that which we had with Mr. Covelle, but teachers are by nature resilient and accustomed to adapting to change.”
Mr. Lilly said that he is not a “sit-in-the-office kind of guy.” He will do the best he can to interact with students and faculty members in the hallways, the cafeteria, and school events.
“Whenever you start at a new school, whether it is as a teacher or as an administrator, it takes some time to become familiar with the school environment,” Mrs. Amy Bausher, English teacher, said. “Mr. Lilly’s previous educational experience will help him adapt quite well.”
Previously, Mr. Lilly taught in Pottsgrove, where he also coached football and baseball, as well as Baltimore City Public Schools and Wilson School District in West Lawn, near Reading. At Wilson, he taught mathematics for eight years before becoming the curriculum director for mathematics, a position he held for the last three years.
Mr. Lilly prefers the setting of a smaller school to a larger one.
“In big schools, people tend to be more of a number than a face or a person,” he said, “and I really felt like this would be a place where I could build better or stronger relationships with people.”
Mr. Lilly grew up just outside of Binghamton, New York. His wife Hilary teaches special education. They have two children, Elizabeth and AJ.
