By MADDY VITALE
Ocean City High School Principal Matthew Jamison retired in the summer of 2021. And, for about eight months, longtime educator Mark Napoleon filled the top post as an interim principal while the district began a search for a candidate to help lead the district.
When Napoleon took another position in the spring of 2022, Dr. Wendy O’Neal, the assistant principal at the high school since 2015, stepped in as interim principal and remains in that capacity.
And since then, there was a search for a principal, but it was put on hold and school officials say the goal is to have the position re-advertised in the near future, with the hope of hiring someone by the spring of 2023
“A permanent principal was not named at the beginning of the year, and we put the decision on pause,” School Business Administrator Tim Kelley said in a phone interview this week. “We are hoping to finalize the process this spring, so we can have a permanent full-time principal in place for July 1.”
Kelley noted that while “we aren’t conducting interviews at this point,” candidates who were in the initial pool of applicants are still being considered for the position.
Some of the delay in the interviewing of candidates for high school principal was due to the need for newly appointed Schools Superintendent Dr. Matthew Friedman to get acclimated. He began in the district in July of 2022.
“He wanted to get acclimated,” Kelley said.
The Board of Education technically hires employees of the district. However, it is on the recommendation of the superintendent.
Friedman, as the district’s superintendent, will play a major part in the selection of the new high school principal. He, along with the Board of Education, participates in the selection process to hire qualified candidates in the district, school officials say.
In recent months, some parents have asked the Board of Education during meetings why O’Neal has not been selected as the high school principal.
Christine Stanford, of Upper Township, is one of those parents.
Her daughter is in the high school. During a December school board meeting, she thanked O’Neal for her dedication to her students.
Stanford said of O’Neal’s hard work, “Time and time again she is there early in the day and late at night, constantly. It makes me think, why hasn’t she been officially appointed as principal? She just amazes me.”
Schools Superintendent Dr. Matthew Friedman makes recommendations for hirings.
Other parents, such as Jen Bowman, also of Ocean City, who has a daughter who is a high school junior, has spoken out at recent board meetings about O'Neal's positive contributions to the district.
On Wednesday, Bowman reiterated O'Neal's strengths as a leader and role model.
"Her years of experience at OCHS provide the stability we desperately need," she said. "The students respect her, and the staff admires her for her deep dedication to our district."
Kenneth Silver was hired in October as an interim assistant high school principal to fill O'Neal's position while she is acting principal.
There are several qualities the district is looking for when making the determination as to who will be best suited for the role of principal.
Some of the qualities the district is looking for in candidates for principal, according to the district website,
oceancityschools.org, are as follows:
Personality that demonstrates enthusiasm and strong interpersonal skills with students, staff, parents and community
A visionary leader with excellent organizational and technology capability
Knowledge and understanding of effective instructional strategies, scheduling and classroom management
In addition, a qualified candidate must have been a teacher for at least four years and an administrator for at least three years, according to the description.
For information about Ocean City schools visit www.oceancityschools.org.
