By Steven Hoffman
Staff Writer

The Avon Grove School District concluded a busy year and said farewell to Superintendent Dr. M. Christopher Marchese during the final school board meeting of 2024 on Dec. 12.

“This is my last official meeting as superintendent of schools,” Marchese said during his superintendent’s report toward the end of the meeting. “It has been a pleasure to serve this board and this community.”

Marchese has guided the school district for more than 11 years, and it has been a period of transformation for Avon Grove—the district built a new high school, renovated the former high school into a state-of-the-art middle school, and persevered through a pandemic that presented unprecedented challenges.

He announced that he was resigning from his position in October, and the Avon Grove School Board thanked him for his service to the district with a more formal presentation in November. At that same meeting, the Avon Grove School Board appointed Dr. Nicole Harvey, the district’s assistant superintendent for elementary education, as the interim superintendent.

Marchese thanked the district’s administrators, teachers, support staff, professional staff, parents, and community members for the dedication, support, and hard work that all helped the students achieve their dreams.

He emphasized that he was grateful for the support that the parents and the community members give to the Avon Grove School District.

Marchese said that he will miss working with the administrative team every day, and specifically mentioned those he worked most closely with, including administrative confidential assistant Laurinda O’Brien, the district’s Chief Financial Officer Daniel Carsley, the director of personnel Dr. Wendi Lee Clark,  the assistant superintendent for elementary education Dr. Nicole Harvey, assistant superintendent for secondary education Scott DeShong, director of innovation & technology Dr. Jason Kotch, director of pupil services Sean Burns, director of school safety and security Chrissy Simpkins, and communications coordinator Theresa Marsden.

Marchese will be moving into the role of executive director of the Lincoln Intermediate Unit following his departure from Avon Grove on Jan. 3.

School board president Dorothy Linn, Ed.D. thanked Marchese and offered best wishes on behalf of the school district.
“We wish you very well on your next endeavor,” Linn said. “Thank you for everything that you’ve done for the school district.”

The Avon Grove School District has enlisted the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU) to facilitate the search for the district’s next superintendent.

 “As we begin our search for a new superintendent, we are committed to an inclusive process that will involve extensive community input and collaboration,” said Linn in a statement about the search from the CCIU. “We look forward to engaging our parents, students, educators, and community members to help us identify a visionary leader who will continue building upon the strong foundation we have in place.”

The job posting for the Avon Grove School District Superintendent position has been officially posted on the CCIU website and multiple state and national search websites and will remain open for applications until January 22, 2025.