Aubrie Schnelle

WEST SUNBURY — The recent promotion of Aubrie Schnelle to superintendent prompted a number of position changes Monday evening at Moniteau's school board meeting.

Formerly the assistant principal of Moniteau Junior/Senior High School, Schnelle officially took over as superintendent Saturday from Tom Samosky, who resigned effective Friday.

With Schnelle's promotion, one of the board's first orders of business was to redefine the positions of high school principal and assistant high school principal to co-high school principal for academic affairs and co-high school principal for student affairs, respectively.

Schnelle said current high school principal, Lance Fox, will become the co-principal of academic affairs, while former Dassa McKinney Elementary School principal Dustin Thompson will take on the role of co-principal of student affairs.

The board voted to appoint Richard Cavett as acting elementary principal for Dassa McKinney Elementary School, effective Wednesday. Cavett had previously retired from the district, according to Schnelle. The board also voted to post the availability for an elementary principal position.

Having worked in the district since 2016 and graduated in 2001 from Moniteau High School, Schnelle said in her superintendent's report that she wants to continue pushing the district toward more interactive opportunities for all students.

“Mr. Samosky, I think, led our district in a very good direction,” Schnelle said. “That's what we hope to continue doing with our on-hands learning experiences for our students, I am looking forward to continuing that.”

Board president Mike Panza read a letter from the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA), congratulating the district on being a 2021 recipient of the innovative school board award, which comes with $1,000 check to the district, a feature in the PSBA bulletin and website and a video interview with members of the school board.

Panza said Samosky submitted information to the PSBA for the award. He credited the board's cooperation with one another and the community with being recognized with the award.

He said board members Michael Baptiste and Joann Duke made contributions to the district, the Lions Club supported the district with a donation to the greenhouse project and the district procured WiFi hot spots to allow students to complete school work remotely through the pandemic.

“Those are just a few of the things we'll be highlighting about the great things going on at Moniteau,” Panza said. “That's just the good work that this district, (Schnelle), the administrative team and board and community together continue do for the benefit of our students.”