Willow Dale Elementary Updates!

July 25, 2025

Dear Willow Dale Students, Staff and Families,

I trust this finds you all doing well and enjoying your summer break. As we look ahead to a new school year, I am writing to make you aware of some changes to the Willow Dale administration team, the timeline for their arrival, and our plan for opening the school year.

INTRODUCTION OF NEW PRINCIPAL

We are pleased to welcome Ms. Katie Gill as our new principal at Willow Dale. With a strong background in educational leadership and a passion for fostering inclusive and empowering learning environments, Ms. Gill is focused on creating an exceptional learning experience for students. Ms. Gill comes to us from the Allentown City School District, where she most recently served as the principal of Union Terrace Elementary School. There, she successfully implemented many initiatives to improve student and staff outcomes while engaging with the community to increase collaboration and build strong home and school relationships.

Ms. Gill holds an anticipated Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Administration from Capella University, and an M.Ed. In Educational Leadership from Holy Family University. We are thrilled to welcome Ms. Gill to Willow Dale, and look forward to her leadership in fostering a thriving educational community. To learn more about Ms. Gill, please click here to read her welcome letter.

TIMELINE & TRANSITION

Typically, when candidates are hired from outside of Centennial, there is a period of time where they are held in place by their previous district until a proper plan of succession can occur. For this reason, Ms. Gill’s official start will be September 8, 2025. In the interim, we have created a transition plan to ensure the opening of the school year is smooth for our students, staff and families.

While Ms. Gill prepares for her arrival, we are pleased to announce that Dr. Michael Devitt will serve as the interim principal at Willow Dale Elementary, beginning July 28 through September 11, 2025. Dr. Devitt is a familiar face to our district, having served Centennial for thirty years as an assistant principal, first at William Tennent High School and then at Davis Elementary. Since retiring in 2018, he has assisted with nine interim principal assignments at various elementary, middle, and high schools in Bucks and Montgomery Counties. Dr. Devitt is excited to serve in this role, and looks forward to welcoming everyone back to school. To learn more about Dr. Devitt, please click here to read his welcome letter.

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL UPDATE

Interviews for our new assistant principal at Willow Dale will conclude next week. Upon selection of a candidate, we will share an update, including transition details.

Thank you for your patience as we finalize our administrative team; while there are many changes, we are fortunate to welcome two outstanding educators to our district. I am grateful to our interview committee for their professionalism in selecting quality candidates who will continue to make Willow Dale a wonderful place for our students to learn and grow. Enjoy the remaining weeks of summer, and stay tuned for additional information about the opening of school – we look forward to seeing you!

Sincerely,

Abram M. Lucabaugh, Ed.D.

Superintendent