ADMINISTRATION BUILDING 835 OLD CLAIRTON ROAD • JEFFERSON HILLS , PA 15025 PHONE 412.655.8450 • FAX 412.655.9544 www . wjhsd . net est Jefferson Hills WEST JEFFERSON HILLS SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
On behalf of the WJH School Board of Directors , I am delighted to announce Dr . Michael Ghilani as Superintendent of Schools and the newest member of the West Jefferson Hills School District family . Dr . Ghilani was appointed the new superintendent with a unanimous vote at a special board meeting held on January 31 , 2017 . He began his duties as superintendent on March 6 , 2017 with a 4-year contract running through June 30 , 2021 .
Dr . Michael Ghilani was previously the Superintendent of the Montour School District . Prior to that , he was an assistant principal and principal of Upper St . Clair High School for 14 years . During that time , Dr . Ghilani was named the PAESSP Pennsylvania Secondary Principal of the Year in 2013 . Dr . Ghilani received a bachelor ’ s degree from Washington and Jefferson College in Psychology and Education , a master ’ s degree from the University of Pittsburgh in School Counseling , a doctorate from Duquesne University in Counseling and Supervision , principal certification from Carnegie Mellon University , and a Letter of Eligibility from Gannon University . He serves on Carnegie Science Center ’ s STEM Advisory Board and under his leadership the Montour High School was named the # 3 STEM High School in PA by Shell Oil Company . Dr . Ghilani is also an Adjunct Professor at California University of Pennsylvania where he teaches in the Counselor Education and Administrative Studies programs .
52 West Jefferson Hills
WJH ADMINISTRATORS
MESSAGE FROM THE WJH School Board of Directors
WJH SCHOOL BOARD
On a personal level , Dr . Ghilani has strong ties to our district . His mother , Dorothy Ghilani taught mathematics at TJ High School from 1966 to 1997 and he attended preschool in the district . Dr . Ghilani currently lives in South Fayette with his wife Lauren , a teacher in the Upper St . Clair School District , and their three daughters , Nora , Nina and Natalie .
The Board would like to thank our students , staff and community for their patience and understanding as we moved carefully and diligently through the search process to ensure the best possible fit for our district . The Board interviewed many candidates , many of whom certainly could have done the job , but none emerged as the ideal leader for our district until we met Dr . Ghilani . We are confident and extremely optimistic about Dr . Ghilani ’ s appointment as superintendent and look forward to working with him to move our district forward . Welcome to the WJHSD family , Dr . Ghilani !