Seneca Valley Hires New Middle School Assistant Principal, Acting Rowan Principal

Two familiar faces are taking over the reins at Seneca Valley Middle School and Rowan Elementary.

At Monday’s school board meeting, officials approved the hiring of Marie Palano as assistant principal at the middle school beginning Nov. 27. A Cranberry resident, Palano replaces Andrea Peck, who was promoted to principal at the middle school in September.

The board also approved the appointment of Nannette Farmar as acting principal at Rowan Elementary School.

Farmar will take over the position that will be left vacant by Dr. John Giancola, who is leaving the district Dec. 3 to take a position as an English as a Second Language supervisor with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.

Palano will be paid an annual salary of $73,500 for her new position, according to the district.

She has taught Spanish to seventh and eight grade students at Seneca Valley for close to a decade and has served on the school’s multicultural committee, health and wellness committee and the new world language curriculum writing committee for Spanish and French.

A Mercyhurst and University of Pittsburgh grad who received her masters degree in reading from Slippery Rock and her principal certification from Gannon University, Palano also was on the committee that helped bring the Don Eicchorn Schools to Watch Award to the middle school in 2011, according to officials.

Farmar is another well-known face around the district.

The Gibsonia resident has served as assistant principal at Rowan and Connoquenessing Valley Elementary in the district for the last five years.

She also is the coordinator of the Seneca Valley Title 1 Reading Program, a federally funded supplemental program that provides financial assistance to schools to improve opportunities for disadvantaged children.

Farmar has a bachelor of science in elementary and kindergarten education from Penn State University, a masters in administrative and policy studies from Pitt and attended a yearlong course at Duquesne University for its reading specialist program.

Farmar will receive a $1,000 per month stipend on top of her already-established salary for her new role, district officials said.

There is no timeline for when a permanent replacement for Giancola will be hired, according to the district. For Giancola’s goodbyes to the district, including what he’ll miss most, click here.