Interview with Dr. Sam Varano

How a principal’s  passion, personality, and bow tie prepares students for college-readiness.

During Dr. Varano’s nine years as principal, Souderton Area High School has progressed from relative obscurity to U.S. News and World Report’s #26 ranked high school in Pennsylvania.  Dr. Varano was named Pennsylvania’s 2011 MetLife/NASSP High School Principal of the Year, recognizing his leadership that has fostered an organizational learning culture.  Sam has focused on collaborative leadership, student achievement and personalization of the educational experience. He has developed the Career Pathways Program by working with groups of stakeholders and the community to create differentiated diplomas based on the students’ post-high school goals. Sam strives to ensure students who need more help receive it through co-teaching in mathematics and language arts and encouraging personal mentoring connections between teachers and students. As a result, the achievement gap between average and economically disadvantaged students has decreased by 29 percent.

Sam will share why a bow tie is the perfect metaphor for education