‘Rowing in the same direction.’ Meet Bald Eagle Area’s new superintendent

It’s only his first week on the job, but Christopher Santini has already hit the ground running as new superintendent at Bald Eagle Area School District.

Santini’s contract was approved in April to fill the permanent position and take over for interim superintendent Joseph Clapper, who stepped into the role after former superintendent Curtis Whitesel announced his resignation in January.

The State High and Penn State graduate was previously the director of pupil services at Central Cambria School District and a former middle and high school principal. Santini said he hopes to bring stability to the district, noting he’s the third permanent superintendent appointment within four years.

“I think what the district needs right now is somebody who’s going to be here for an extended time,” Santini said. “Somebody who doesn’t see this as a stepping stone to another position.”

Santini isn’t the only new superintendent to the area — Bellefonte Area’s Roy Rakszawski will start with the district on July 15. Both Bald Eagle and Bellefonte area administrators had a leadership retreat in Gettysburg last month and will be jointly hosting an education speaker for an upcoming professional development day.

Santini officially started on Monday but has been attending board meetings, baseball games and other district events for the past few months in an effort to get settled within the district.

In an effort to increase communication and transparency within the district, he sent his first newsletter introducing himself to the BEA community and detailing what’s going on with the school district over the summer months. The newsletter was something he started at Central Cambria to help show student accomplishments, and he said he’s already seen a good response from the BEA community. As of Tuesday afternoon, over 1,000 people had read the district’s newsletter, Santini said.

“That’s me telling our school’s story, because I don’t know that our story gets out there quite as much as it should, especially the things in our school board,” Santini said.

But it’s not just about communicating with parents and community members that’s important for Santini. Even with the superintendent’s office tucked away in Bald Eagle’s administrative building across the street from the high school, Santini said he still plans to interact with students and teachers — just not as much as when he was a high school principal.

“I liken it to the difference between being a parent and a grandparent,” Santini said. “As a principal, you are the parent of 500, 600, 700 kids. You’re dealing with all of the joys and all the frustrations that come with being the parent of that large group of kids. As a superintendent, you’re more like the grandparent.”

With a little over a month before the first in-service days begin for Bald Eagle Area teachers, Santini has his hands full with meeting community members, parents, administrators and more. One of the things that’s really impressed him about Bald Eagle is the strong sense of community he feels from the area, he said.

“I think what I’m most excited about,” he said. “It’s just being somewhere where we’re all rowing in the same direction.”

Bald Eagle Area’s first day of school is Tuesday, Aug. 27.

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