This year, the staff and students at Whitehall-Coplay School District’s Gockley Elementary welcomed a new principal, Denise Saylor, to their administrative staff.

Saylor began her career in education in 1994 as a kindergarten teacher in the Bethlehem Area School District and, two years later, joined Whitehall-Coplay School District as a third- and later a fourth-grade teacher at Steckel Elementary. In April 2006, Saylor became a guidance counselor at Steckel and remained there until September 2009 when she transferred to Zephyr Elementary as a guidance counselor.

She learned in May 2016 that she was chosen to become the new principal of Gockley Elementary School, replacing Dr. Mary FeKula, who retired earlier this year.

“As my career had evolved, somewhere along the way, the dream to become an elementary school principal had developed, and I was grateful that this opportunity had been presented to me,” Saylor said. “I had greatly enjoyed my time as a teacher at Steckel and as a guidance counselor, but I was definitely looking forward to this new challenge of becoming an administrator.”

Saylor is a graduate of the Whitehall-Coplay School District. She attended third grade at the Zephyr building on Lehigh Street, which was once the old Whitehall High School. She then attended Steckel, Whitehall-Coplay Middle School and, ultimately, Whitehall High School, where she graduated in 1987. She went on to Penn State University-Altoona and, later, Penn State-University Park for the last two years, earning her Bachelor of Science degree in early childhood education.

In 1992, Saylor earned her elementary education certification from Kutztown University, allowing her to teach students up to and including eighth grade. She went on to achieve her master’s degree from Kutztown University in elementary school counseling in May 2002, and in 2010, she received her principal certification from Penn State University, Great Valley.

This past summer was a hectic time for Saylor as she had to fulfill her counseling roles and responsibilities at Zephyr before she prepared for her transition to her administrative position at Gockley. She continued to be at Zephyr through the third week in July and then started officially at Gockley Aug. 15.

“I am still in the process of settling in,” Saylor said. “The Gockley staff, parents and students have been extremely supportive and welcoming, which has made the transition a lot easier.”

Saylor reflected on her decision to leave her counseling position at Zephyr and remembers that it was a difficult choice for her. The students and staff at Zephyr were excited for her to have this opportunity, but she was definitely sad to be moving on. She was involved in the opening of Zephyr back in 2009, and she worked closely with all the staff and with Zephyr Elementary Principal Terri Miller.

“The opening of a brand-new building was a challenging and rewarding experience to be a part of, and I learned a lot during that process. A new Zephyr staff was created with the blending of the fourth grade from Steckel and the fifth grade from the middle school,” Saylor said.

She believes the knowledge and experience she gained during that time period has helped to prepare her to become an elementary school principal.

According to Saylor, it has been an honor and a privilege over the course of 20 years in the district to work with some of the teachers that have positively influenced her as a student and young adult. They instilled a love of learning, she added, and they helped her to realize the importance of education.

“I will constantly draw upon these experiences and relationships to inspire my own students and to effectively work with parents and staff,” she said. “This is what I love most about my role as a principal - being able to reach out and develop positive relationships with so many people.”

Saylor has only been at Gockley for a short time, but she has already learned some important lessons from interacting with the kindergarten and first-grade students.

“Their excitement and enthusiasm as they come into the building each day is invigorating and motivational to me. Children at this age remind us of what is really important in life and inspire us to have hope in the future,” she said.

Saylor is focusing on accomplishing and nurturing positive relationships with her Gockley students, parents and staff during her first year as principal, as she believes these relationships are most important.

“I will work diligently to develop and maintain the trust, support and respect that is necessary to effectively lead this school. I am excited for the rewards and challenges this new position will bring,” she said. “I plan to welcome, support and lead the new initiatives at the K-1 level.

“Most importantly, I look forward to working with the Gockley students, parents and staff to make Gockley Elementary the best that it can be,” Saylor said.