Francis HowellHigh School

The Francis Howell School District (FHSD) Board of Education has announced Jessica DiPaolo as the new assistant principal at Francis Howell High School for the 2016-17 school year.  Mrs. DiPaolo has been serving as the interim assistant principal since Mr. Rob Gaugh vacated the position in the summer of 2015.

Mrs. DiPaolo is an instructional leader with 15 years of experience teaching and leading students in the Fairfax County School District near Washington DC, Rockwood School District, and most recently the Hillsboro School District.  Through these experiences, Mrs. DiPaolo has maintained focus on promoting student excellence, fostering positive parent and community relationships, and leading staff in school improvement efforts.  This began in her teaching experience where she served as a history teacher instructing a variety of courses including Global Studies, World Civilizations, and World History while also sponsoring several activities that included head volleyball coach, student government sponsor, and professional learning community cross-curricular team leader.

Mrs. DiPaolo expanded her school leadership roles over the past six years at Hillsboro High School where she served as the social studies curriculum and assessment coordinator, facilitating the social studies departmental professional learning and curriculum development K-12; collaborated with instructional coaches to lead the development and refinement of K-12 social studies curriculum; and lead the high school social studies department as the department chair.  During this time, Mrs. DiPaolo also co-chaired the Education Plus Social Studies and History Regional Consortium.  These experiences have built Mrs. DiPaolo’ s understanding of the use of assessment data to drive instructional goals and forge student and school improvement through the nuanced application of qualitative and quantitative information about student learning and behavioral performance.  

At Francis Howell High School this year, Mrs. DiPaolo has begun the process of building relationships with Viking students and families through conversations about student academics, attendance, and behavior; engaging our team of professionals in the special education and physical education departments in discussions instruction and student learning; and leading students in the Gateway to Change project to continue building on the positive student culture and appreciation for diversity in perspectives at FHHS.

Mrs. DiPaolo holds a bachelor of arts in history degree from Saint Mary’s University and a master of educational administration degree from Missouri Baptist University.

Please join in welcoming Mrs. DiPaolo to the Viking learning community,