District Welcomes Frosina Cordisco as Finance Director Frosina Cordisco joins the District
as new Director of Business and Finance, replacing Jane Sierzega. Frosina earned both her bachelor of science in economics and mathematics and her MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. Her business experience is extensive and includes president of FCC Consulting, LLC, vice president of finance and CFO of VEC Technology, LLC, and vice president and treasurer of DQE and Duquesne Light Company. Frosina is also an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh where she teaches finance and management, and serves on the board of trustees of the Pittsburgh Public Theatre. A resident of Upper St. Clair since 1979, Frosina is looking forward to making a meaningful contribution to the community, and expects her experiences in the private sector and teaching at the University of Pittsburgh to serve her well in her new position. Frosina has two children: Christopher Damish, 25, who currently lives in Washington, DC, and Nicole Damish, a senior finance major at the University of Kentucky. In addition to a love of cooking, Frosina enjoys skiing, being outdoors, and traveling. n
New Job for Dr. Lombardo Dr. James Lombardo, Superintendent
of Schools, will soon be leaving Upper St. Clair to take a position with the Bensalem School District. Dr. Lombardo has been with USC for just over three years, but the initiatives implemented under his direction should have a positive impact for years to come. While Dr. Lombardo joked that the biggest challenge for a superintendent at Upper St. Clair is “not messing things up,” he took steps to improve on what was already in place. He focused on themes—such as supervisor evaluation and assessment, health and wellness, class size, and communications—and created committees to develop goals and action plans for each. Some of the results from these committees include reduced elementary school class size, community forums on drug and alcohol use, and updated technology. One initiative that Dr. Lombardo expects to continue long after he’s gone is the Asian studies program, stating that there are great people in place at the high school to provide leadership for it. As Dr. Lombardo prepares to leave what he calls one of the “top school districts in the state” he is beginning to look at the challenges that face him at Bensalem, a district located in the suburbs north of Philadelphia. He described the district with its approximately 7000 students as very different than that of Upper St. Clair, stating that it is more diverse both ethnically and socio-economically. He explained that the average income in the Bensalem district is $50,000 and only about 50% of that district’s students are meeting PSSA standard, so he’ll be working to significantly improve performance over the next few years. “It’s a different kind of approach,” said Dr. Lombardo, “but it will be exciting to serve a much needier people.” n
Welcome our new hires to the District for the 2006-07 school year.
Hail
Baker: Lauren Greco (also at Eisenhower), Kristin Senay Eisenhower: Kellie Costello, Eric Miller, Kerry Strauch Streams: Sherri Pargament, Leslie Phillips Smirniw Boyce: Lauren Gates, Justin Gremba, Abdelkader Khila, Jason O’Roark, Robert Sully Fort Couch: Richard Ali, Andrew Lucas, Erin Peterson High School: Kevin Coffman, Ben Edwards, Jean Gigliotti, Giulia Gouker, Emily Robbibaro, Katie Ryan, Dana Sussman, David Watson Homebound Instruction: Jenna Greco Administrative (Central Office): Scott Holtkamp, Todd West
Thank you to the following District retirees for their years of service.
Farewell
Professional: Joan Descalzi, Cindy Golding, Dee Hamel, Sam Hazo, Kate Junker, Joan Kerlin, Jim Lydon, Florine Masciantonio, Noreen Pikutis, Jodi Ramsay, Judy Reilly, Jim Smoyer, Collette Sullivan Classified: John Harrison, Catherine Pigford, Rocco Totino Administrative Support: Alex Dombroski, Phyllis Feller
Winter 2006
UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY
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