The principal search is over, and Strath Haven has a new principal.

Mr. Andrew Benzing, the Director of STEM Teaching, Learning, and Innovation, will be Strath Haven High School’s next principal. Benzing’s appointment was approved unanimously at the November 18 school board meeting, which was live-streamed on WSSD’s YouTube channel.

During his time as Director of STEM, Benzing helped spearhead multiple programs, including a new elementary math program.

“I couldn’t be more excited to have Mr. Benzing take this new role at the high school,” School Board President Mr. Kevin Henry said at the meeting.

The community was first informed about Benzing’s appointment in a November 15 email to parents by Interim Superintendent Dr. James Scanlon.

Benzing was selected through a principal search process that began in August. The process featured multiple focus groups that involved students and community members, as well as a survey sent out to the community.

The search process began after the previous principal, Dr. Gregory Hilden, left at the end of last year for a new role as principal at Chichester High School. The departure escalated frustration among community members at the District amid multiple other departures and a drawn-out contract negotiations process with WSEA, the teacher’s union.

Benzing will introduce himself to community members in upcoming meetings and will receive a salary of $170,000 per year.

“Welcome to this position, Mr. Benzing. We are excited to have you and are looking forward to really great things,” School Board Member Mary Jo Witkowski-Smith said at the meeting.

The meeting also saw drafts of the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school calendars. The calendars were discussed at the November 6 Educational Affairs Committee meeting.

The calendars include the recognition of more religious holidays, an element of the new calendars that was welcomed by many who had been pushing for this change.

“We celebrate this change, because in a very basic way, it makes us feel seen,” one community member said during the public comment section of the meeting.

Community members who supported the calendar changes created a thank-you poster for Board members, who saw it after the meeting.

The Board also approved several new courses and changes to the Silver Guide.

New courses include classes on mythology, national parks, education, choral music, architecture, and media for publications. Other notable changes included the sunset of the video and broadcast elective and the shortening of AP Literature from a yearlong course to a semester-long course.

There were also sweeping changes to the physics program, with Physics H and Physics CP being condensed into one physics class and the addition of AP Physics I, which has lighter math prerequisites than the other AP Physics courses.

Students also no longer need to take chemistry prior to physics or test out of regular physics to take AP Physics classes. Any students who meet the math requirements for AP Physics classes may take them, assuming Biology has been completed.

During the public comment period, multiple parents expressed concern over the resignation of Wallingford Elementary School third-grade teacher Ms. Laura Corbett, and the fact that their children would experience four separate teachers over their school year.

The Board also authorized the purchase of a 2023 Ford F-250 super duty pickup truck, curriculum writing for the Strath Haven eSports team, the disposal of obsolete athletic equipment, and the appointment of a new transportation supervisor.

Board Member Rachel Holbert clarified that the truck was replacing a previous truck that was in use and did not represent a new purchase.

Holbert also raised the question of why Haven’s eSports program, a club, required funding for curriculum writing.

Scanlon confirmed that eSports is a club, not a class. He stated that eSports has become popular in Delaware County and that about 40 students are involved in the club at Strath Haven.

“It’s a way for kids who may not be typically connected to school to get connected,” he said. “The teachers who have been volunteering their time and working with students thought that they would like to write some specific curriculum, some more goals… to help make a better connection for kids.”