Slippery Rock HS announces coprincipals
Leading Slippery Rock Area High School this year will be a team effort.
Slippery Rock Area School Distric has named Jesse Pattison and Shawn Zappia as the high school’s co-principals for the 2026-27 school year.
Pattison and Zappia are filling the role of former high school principal Cory Hake, who took the assistant superintendent position at A-C Valley School District. Slippery Rock approved the transition plan at its June 22 board meeting.
Greg Schiller, the school board’s president, said while interviewing candidates, the board decided to deviate from its normal process and interview the two together.
You could see how excited Jesse and Shawn are to jump into these roles, and how they had already been working with each other to define the jobs. That type of enthusiasm should serve our high school community very well,” Schiller said.
Pattison, who worked closely with Hake for the past two years, will hold the position of principal of academic affairs. He will deal mainly with curricular and instructional matters, the district said.
Zappia will serve as the principal of student affairs. He had previously served as principal of special services for the high school.
“Mr. Zappia and I are very similar in the fact that we both value a team-based mindset when it comes to problem-solving and achieving goals,” Pattison said. “While our two positions have distinct responsibilities, our collaborative approach will allow us to utilize each other's strengths and experiences to best support our students, staff and families.”
Pattison and Zappia said they are enthusiastic about the prospects of moving forward with “new ideas and a fresh perspective” for Slippery Rock Area High School.
“Through shared leadership, the coprincipal model will allow Mr. Pattison and me to be more visible and accessible to students, parents, and staff. This specialized approach will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of our efforts to support academics, school safety, and the organizational needs of Slippery Rock Area High School,” Zappia said.
Superintendent Alfonso Angelucci also described Pattison and Zappia as having a “student-first attitude.”
The district will hold “outside office hours” at the high school building on Aug. 5 from 5:30-7 p.m. at its newly renovated entrance. Students, parents and staff are welcome to meet the co-principals and ask questions regarding the upcoming school year.
