Medica Named New Southern Regional High School Principal - The SandPaper

Southern Regional High School has a new principal as the district enters the 2021-22 school year.

On July 14, the board of education approved the promotion of Joseph Medica, who had served as an assistant principal for the previous 12 years, to the principal position, left behind by Eric Wilhelm, who quietly stepped down and retired at the end of the 2020-21 school year, commencing on June 30.

“I’m beyond excited to hit the ground running,” Medica said, moments after the board’s vote and several board members offered their congratulations to him. “The administrative team in place is outstanding. The staff is outstanding. The kids are outstanding. I’m looking forward to our first event, which is freshman orientation, and having a packed auditorium and having that energy back.”

Medica, entering his 23rd year in the Southern district, spent 10 years in the classroom as a science teacher before being moved into the assistant principal role he had held since 2009.

“It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and talking with Eric, who had been principal for 17 years, and following him, I watched how to do things here. I’ve always had a passion for this district, and now I’m excited for the chance to leave my mark here.”

Medica jumped right into his new role at the start of the month – his contract is retroactive to July 1 and runs through June 30, 2022, at a salary of $155,211.

“It’s an honor to be able to give back to the Southern community in a bigger role,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been a leader here. I just keep thinking about what my vision is for this district, and there’s no better way to make that happen than to be principal of the high school. For me, it was like this: If you want to be a principal, why not be a principal in the Southern Regional district? This is an amazing district, and I’m honored and humbled by the support I’ve received so far.”

Superintendent Craig Henry said that while the four candidates vetted through the hiring process all were “perfect for the position in their own way and made this an exceptionally hard decision,” Medica’s “student-centeredness” edged him to the top of the leader board.

“Even as a science teacher, students would flock to him because he made such great connections with them,” Henry said. “He’s always gone over and above to reach out to kids and make a difference in their lives. Over the years, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard from people, in all different divisions of the district, about what Joe had just done for a kid, and he’s going to bring that level of care for students as the principal.

“Not that any of the other candidates haven’t done that, but Joe has a 20-year history of doing it. This was one of the hardest decisions we’ve had to make in our history as a district because of the high level of all the candidates. Unfortunately, in this case, we could only choose one person for the job, and Joe’s the one. He’s always walked the talk, and he’s going to be a great principal.”  —D.B.

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Medica Named New Southern Regional High School Principal - The SandPaper
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