Photo Credit: Jaden Do & Kemi Osamiluyi

By: Jaden Do

Online Editor

“Skull, rhymes with waltz.”

Hammond High School’s new Assistant Principal Dr. Scaltz is a breath of fresh air, with a student-first attitude, a focus on inclusion and student engagement. With seventeen years of experience as an administrator and teacher, one of her main goals is building a sense of community, ensuring every student feels heard and supported. One of her key principles is simple, but lets everyone know what she’s about: “No kid eats alone.”

Dr. Scaltz emphasizes that her role and responsibility is listening and building relationships with the student body. “When kids come to me multiple times, they always assume I’m still thinking about whatever happened yesterday— No. It’s over, it’s done with– it’s a new day,” she explains to the Bear Press. 

This “goldfish mindset” as we like to call it, reflects her belief that every interaction is new, and that she moves on from the past easily. She doesn’t make assumptions and certainly doesn’t hold any grudges. Her main goal is to know the students, and understand their situation.

As a proficient Spanish speaker, Dr. Scaltz uses her second language to connect with non-native speakers and their families, helping them feel included and understood. 

Before coming to work in education, she was a research scientist studying eye movement within bilingual populations at The Pennsylvania State University. Our new assistant principal also studied abroad in multiple countries, and she says she understands what it’s like to “be the outsider.” She can address each student’s needs with cultural sensitivity and thoughtfulness.

Beyond her role as an administrator, Dr. Scaltz is ecstatic to become a part of the Hammond community, involving herself in our school culture with our infamous Spirit Week, football games, and other fun events! We have her on record saying, “I heard Hammond has the best Spirit Week. I’m excited!”

Her advice to new freshmen, and students in general, is very straightforward: “Don’t close any doors.” She wants everyone to get involved like she’s eager to be. Clubs, activities, sports– everything. She hopes to inspire freshmen to actively participate in Hammond’s school community, and for seniors to explore all opportunities, as “every opportunity leads to a potential future.” Dr. Scaltz emphasizes networking, as this is the key to success in adult-life. Start now, seniors!

Dr. Scaltz’s commitment to building relationships with students is helped by her organizational skills and thoughtful decision making. She describes herself as a “calculated risk-taker,” where she will carefully evaluate options while remaining open to new initiatives that help students.

Her own high school experiences shaped who she is today, loving Spanish, which gave her opportunities to travel abroad and be mentored by wonderful people. She was actively involved in athletics, playing on her school’s basketball and volleyball teams, as well as performing in her school’s play.

Outside of school, Dr. Scaltz is married to an English teacher at Glenelg, and they have two daughters together. She has worked with both River Hill and Centennial students, earning her PhD from Penn State before that.

By emphasizing inclusion and opportunity for all, she will ensure that Hammond lives up to our motto: “Where People Are Important.”

If you see her in the hallways, be sure to say hi! She’s still new and excited to get to know everyone here and leave her mark on Hammond.