As the month of December races on, the world begins to shift its focus on the upcoming new year and what the next decade will bring. Well, at NASH, the new year means one big change — new leadership.

On Wednesday, December 4th, NASH Principal John Kreider announced that he accepted the Superintendent position at Carlynton School District. 

“I’ve always been looking to expand my professional capacity and give back,” Kreider said. “This is a natural progression in my career, to move from student to teacher to assistant principal to principal and now to superintendent.”

While the news became official last week, a few teachers already had expected that Kreider was planning on furthering his career.

“There was a lot of talk and banter, so it was not exactly a surprising announcement,” Mr. Lyons, Foreign Policy and American History teacher, said. 

Kreider has served as NASH’s principal since 2015 and is proud of his accomplishments over his four-and-a-half-year tenure. 

“I’m especially pleased to have created opportunities for clubs and organizations to branch out beyond the walls at NASH to serve the greater community,” the principal said.

Lyons believes that Kreider has also achieved a great deal simply by acting as a buffer between the teachers in the classrooms and administrative duties.

“I think he has done a lot of streamlining,” Lyons said. “We were able to do more things that helped kids. He cut down on the amount of paperwork and gave us more time to develop lessons. That’s been a big difference.”

English teacher Mrs. Rhinehart agrees that Kreider’s leadership has positively impacted students and staff.

“I really like working for him,” she commented. “I’m excited for Dr. Kreider, but I’m selfishly sad because I’ll miss him.”

From the students’ perspective, it seems that Kreider has accomplished his goal of expanding NASH’s horizons. Senior Class President Jaime Martinez is especially grateful for Kreider’s contributions.

“His enthusiasm for ensuring students’ needs are attended to and for establishing personal relationships with them demonstrates his commitment to making this building the best in the district,” Martinez said. “My conversations with him have shown me that he is proactive, cooperative, and collaborative.”

Kreider does not know exactly when his final day at North Allegheny will be, but the transition is estimated to occur in January or February of this school year.

“[I’ll miss] the community,” Kreider said. “The students here are very energetic and eager. They recognize the importance of education. Certainly the staff and parents as well.”

Some students are disappointed that Kreider will not be able to finish this school year before leaving.

“I just feel like he genuinely cares,” said senior Gabby Parker. “so I was disappointed to realize he wouldn’t be speaking at our graduation.”

There are speculations as to who Kreider’s successor may be, but nothing has officially been confirmed. No matter who takes the job, Kreider offered some words of wisdom.

“Have an open mind and an open door,” he said. “It’s the students’ school. They drive what experiences they have here.”

Kreider explained that, as far as a legacy goes, he hopes he was able to take his own advice and create a safe, open environment for NASH’s students.

“I’ve always been focused on the kids,” he said, “Sometimes it can be a challenge as you move through different areas of responsibility. It’s easy to lose sight of why we’re here, but we’re here for the kids.”