New Principals Named For Middle Schools, Cynwyd Elementary

The appointment of three new Lower Merion school district principals was unanimously approved by Lower Merion's Board of School Directors on Monday night.

Jason Potten, Orathia Bradley and Daniel Martino will be the new principals of , and , respectively, beginning in the 2012-13 school year. Potten is currently the assistant principal at Bala Cynwyd Middle School, and Bradley and Martino are hires from other area school districts.

The three vacancies were due to retirements and promotions.

Potten will be promoted to principal when Margery Andersen retires as 's principal at year's end.

"I just want to say thank you and I'm really looking forward to the opportunity for continued excellence," Potten said Monday night, following board approval of his appointment.

Bradley, currently assistant principal at Spring-Ford Area School District's 7th Grade Center, will become the principal of Welsh Valley Middle School when current principal Scott Eveslage replaces as principal for the 2012-13 school year.

"I am so happy to be here," Bradley told the board. "I'm looking forward to working very closely with everyone and getting to know our school district much better. Thank you so much."

Martino, currently the principal of Penn Manor School District's Conestoga Elementary School, will become the Cynwyd Elementary School principal at year's end. 's current principal, Connie DiMedio, is retiring. 

The hiring of new LMSD staff is "a very inclusive process," school board superintendent Christopher McGinley told Patch. Parents, teachers and other administrators on committees decide who the final candidates are, first reviewing resumes, then moving to a large committee interview, and finally, a smaller group of finalists are interviewed for each position.

There were about 50 applicants for the Cynwyd Elementary School position, and somewhat fewer for the middle school positions, according to McGinley.

"We had plenty of applicants with great qualities to choose from, so it was just an issue of making the best match for the school at this time," McGinley said. "I'm very happy with the choices and looking forward to working with the new people in the schools and people that have been promoted as well."