The Waynesboro Area School District (WASD) is announcing the selection of Dr. Rita Sterner-Hine as the next superintendent of the district. Dr. Sterner-Hine will succeed Dr. Tod Kline, who will retire in February. Currently, Dr. Sterner-Hine serves as Assistant Superintendent, a position she has held since 2017.
Dr. Sterner-Hine has worked in the WASD since 1991. She began as a social studies teacher at the Waynesboro Area Middle School and eventually became an assistant principal at the Waynesboro Area Senior High School, principal of Hooverville and then Summitview Elementary Schools before assuming her current position.
A graduate of Shippensburg University with a BS and MS in Public Administration and a Comprehensive Social Studies Teacher Certification 6-12, she received her K-12 Principal Certification from Shippensburg and her Letter of Eligibility from Edinboro University. Her doctoral work was completed at Widener University.
Some of her accomplishments while in the district include facilitating the implementation of the First Choice Initiative, Comprehensive Full Day Kindergarten, and Pre-K programs. In addition, she established trauma informed classrooms, expanded early graduation and early to college programs, and implemented virtual and alternative education. She was also instrumental in keeping district schools open during the COVID pandemic, enabling the district to receive US Congressional Recognition.
While working at Hooverville, this school was recognized for outstanding student achievement and growth in Franklin County. Summitview, the later school was awarded the Governor’s Award for Academic Excellence. She also worked as an adjunct professor at Wilson College for graduate studies in Education and Curriculum.
Dr. Sterner-Hine is also highly invested in the Waynesboro community, specifically by serving on the boards of the Waynesboro Area Business Education and Community Foundation (WABEC), the YMCA, and Five Forks BIC Church. One colleague has stated, “She works tirelessly to serve the district and community at all times.”
Dr. Sterner-Hine lives in Waynesboro with her husband, Derek. Her two grown children Rachel and Evan, are graduates of WASD. The family recently welcomed their first grandchild, Ava.