Five weeks into his new role as Director of Secondary Education at North Penn, Dr. Dennis Williams Jr. is already beginning to shape his vision for the district’s future.
Dr. Williams graduated from Muhlenberg college with both his history and education degrees and began his education career at Cheltenham high school, where he taught for seven years and coached football.
“I got to the point where I felt like I wanted to have a bigger impact beyond just my classroom walls. The biggest way you can do that is through administration,” Williams explained.
So, after seven years of teaching at Cheltenham high school he interviewed for a principal position at Hatboro-Horsham High School, his alma mater, where he held that position for twenty-one years.
“I loved everything about it. I still miss the kids and the teachers and everything else, but I was looking for something a little bit different. Even though I was at Hatboro-Horsham, I always admired North Penn, so when the opportunity presented itself to come over, I took advantage of it, and I’m so glad that I’m here,” Williams said.
Williams’ position as Director of Secondary Education includes overseeing all three middle schools, the high school, and the virtual alternative school, as well as overseeing a lot of the current renovations in the district.
Williams’ goals within the district branch out to not just working with administration, but also having the voices of students be heard.
“Ultimately, as I start to get a little bit more ingrained in this school community, you’ll see me around and I’ll be starting some focus groups with kids about a lot of different topics,” Williams said.
“A lot of the good stuff that comes out of schools, whether it be clubs, activities, or initiatives isn’t driven by your principal. It’s from kids and teachers who come up with these great ideas and our job as principals and district leaders is to one, help you research it so we can do it appropriately and then try to remove any of the barriers that exist,” Williams explained.
As for Williams’ involvement in the district’s construction, he is currently in the process of playing a little bit of catch up and learning about all of the work that has already been done.
“What’s been cool is some of the things that North Penn is looking to do, such as flexible seating areas and removing lockers, we did that at Hatboro-Horsham two or three years ago. So it’s been cool for me because even though I’m new, I have a little bit of input in some of those meetings,” Williams explained.
With his prior experience at Hatboro-Horsham and a clear passion for student involvement and input, Williams is sure to bring a student centered perspective to all of the district renovations.
“There’s not a lot of places I would have left Hatboro-Horsham for. This is one. So I’m excited to be here and I’m excited to have an impact on the community and all the schools,” Williams said.
As he continues into his second month in the role, Dr. Williams remains focused on strengthening student voices and keeping North Penn a great environment for all students.