At its meeting on June 14, the Great Valley Board of School Directors approved the appointment of two administrators: assistant principal at Great Valley Middle School and principal at General Wayne Elementary School. 

Dr. Sharon Cohen was approved as the assistant principal of Great Valley Middle School. Cohen will replace current assistant principal Marshall Hoffritz who is moving to the principal position at K.D. Markley Elementary School.

Cohen most recently served as an assistant principal at Manheim Township Middle School, a role she’s held since 2019. In that position, she was responsible for analyzing student achievement and behavioral records data, for providing teacher performance feedback, and was the summer school coordinator. She regularly contributed to district curriculum and instruction meetings, participated in meetings of K-12 leadership and grade level teams, and attended student assistance program (SAP) meetings. She was also a member of the school’s Incident Command and Pupil Services Teams. Prior to her role at Manheim Middle School, Cohen was an assistant principal at Collegium Charter School. She also has experience as an instructional coach and was an elementary teacher.

Cohen earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland. Her Master of Arts in Education Leadership is from Immaculata University, where she also earned her Doctor of Educational Leadership and Administration.

Dr. Melanie-Jo McCarthy was named principal of General Wayne Elementary School. McCarthy will replace current principal Bonnie Citron who will retire at the close of the 2020-2021 school year.

McCarthy most recently served as the principal of Charles Kelly Elementary School in the Upper Darby School District, a role she’s held since 2016. In addition to her duties as principal, she also served as a mentor to new principals, and was a member of the district’s Deep Equity Team, and the leader of her school-based Equity Team. She is also an adjunct professor at Eastern University’s School of Education.

McCarthy earned her undergraduate degree from Monmouth University. Her Master of Science in Educational Leadership and Policy is from Saint Joseph’s University, where she also earned her Doctor of Educational Leadership and Administration. She holds a Letter of Eligibility for Pennsylvania Assistant Superintendent, an Administrative Certificate for Principal K-12, and Supervisory Certificates for Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction, Elementary Education, and Mentally and/or Physically Handicapped (Instructional II).