Rachel Metzinger has been named principal at Gerald G. Huesken Middle School. Her appointment was made official at the March 21 Conestoga Valley School District (CVSD) school board meeting. Also at the meeting, the school board approved the hire of Kathleen Hernandez as the next principal of Smoketown Elementary.

Metzinger will replace Denis Quirk, who accepted a position as assistant superintendent with Tulpehocken School District. Metzinger will begin her new role on June 6; Quirk's final day with the district will be June 3.

Metzinger has been an employee with the CVSD since August 2009, having held various positions over that time. She has served as the assistant principal at Conestoga Valley High School (CVHS) since July 2019. In that role, she established district-wide Student Assistance Program (SAP) procedures and served as the high school's SAP coordinator. Metzinger also served as the district attendance coordinator and facilitated alternatives to suspension and restorative practices at the high school level, including the implementation of a de-escalation center. In addition, she supervised and developed a secondary RtII center and implemented the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) model. Metzinger also served as a co-chair administrator for curriculum.

Metzinger graduated from Lock Haven University with a Bachelor of Science in special education. She earned her Master of Science in reading from Gwynedd Mercy College and, in the fall of 2021, earned her doctorate in educational leadership and professional practice from Trevecca Nazarene University. Metzinger also holds a Special Educator Supervisor Certification and a Principalship and Administration Certification, both from Penn State University.

Metzinger will serve as the first principal of the newly constructed middle school, which will open for the 2022-23 school year and house students in grades six to eight, a shift from the current seventh- and eighth-grade configuration. This change will allow for a new kindergarten through fifth-grade configuration in all the district's elementary schools.

Hernandez comes to CVSD after a 16-year tenure with the School District of Lancaster. She most recently served as the principal of George Washington Elementary School for six years.

As principal at George Washington, Hernandez supervised, coached, and developed a staff of approximately 40 teachers and a team of instructional support teachers. She implemented a new core reading program for kindergarten through fifth grade and strengthened the school's MTSS framework through data analysis, stakeholder input, and district initiatives. Hernandez also created and developed community partnerships, including the implementation of a First 10 Community School Hub, a program that aims to improve the quality and coordination of education and care for young children and their families.

Hernandez served as George Washington's assistant principal from 2014 to 2016 and was an elementary teacher in the School District of Lancaster from 2006 to 2014. Following her time as a classroom teacher, Hernandez served as the instructional coach and dean of students at the elementary level prior to being named assistant principal at George Washington.

Hernandez earned an undergraduate degree in elementary education and a Master of Education in language and literacy from Millersville University. She holds certifications as a reading specialist and English as a second language instructor. In addition, she obtained her Principal Certification from Temple University.