NEW PALESTINE — Sarah Gizzi has always been pretty good with numbers. The New Palestine High School graduate and former all-star state basketball player for the Dragons has been a math teacher and girls basketball coach during her long career in the district.
This school year, however, Gizzi will have different responsibilities when school opens on Tuesday, Aug. 3.
Gizzi has taken her abilities with numbers out of the classroom and moved to the Southern Hancock administrative team.
She’s been hired on as the district’s new assistant business manger and started in that role on July 26. Gizzi will learn the ropes about school finances from longtime assistant superintendent Bob Yoder and Superintendent Lisa Lantrip.
Gizzi, who has been teaching math and coaching since 2013, said she is excited about her new role.
“I love being a part of the New Palestine community and our incredible school system,” said Gizzi, who will continue to coach the girls basketball team.
While she noted she will really miss being in the classroom with students and working with what she referred to as an “awesome staff” at New Palestine Junior High School, Gizzi is looking forward to the new opportunity.
In addition to crunching numbers, Gizzi will also gather information and do some state reporting on student data with the Department of Local Government Finance, said Wes Anderson, communications director for the district.
“She’ll be doing a lot for us,” he said.
Gizzi was a standout basketball player for the Dragons from 1990-94, when she scored 1,172 career points and led the Dragons to three conference titles and two sectional championships. She was an Indiana All-Star in 1994. She is a graduate of LaSalle University in Philadelphia, where she was a four-year basketball player.
Gizzi has taught math for many years in the district and was the Southern Hancock Teacher of the Year in 2016-17. She lives in New Palestine with her husband Mike and their three children.
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Following is a list of new teachers and administrative staff in the Southern Hancock schools
NEW TEACHERS
Karly Adams, Brandywine Elementary kindergarten
Amanda Aldridge, New Palestine Junior High special education
Melissa Byerly, New Palestine High School French
Sarah Edwards, New Palestine Elementary special education
Maxwell Fellabaum, New Palestine High School Spanish
Grace Jefferies, New Palestine Intermediate School sixth grade
Betsy Kurtz, New Palestine Intermediate School special education
Crystal Maple, Sugar Creek Elementary special education
Melissa Martin, Sugar Creek Elementary fourth grade
Bethany McDonald, New Palestine Junior High choir
Allison Murphy, New Palestine Intermediate fifth grade
Lori Simon, New Palestine Junior High English
Emily Struewing, Sugar Creek Elementary fourth grade
Shannon Tefft, New Palestine Intermediate fifth grade
Emily Thomas, Sugar Creek Elementary special education
Adam VanDam, New Palestine Junior High special education
Sara VanDam, New Palestine Intermediate, fifth grade
OTHER MOVES OF NOTE
Corie McCaw, new assistant principal at New Palestine Intermediate School.
Former fifth-grade teacher Randall Stant will now be the innovation teacher at New Palestine Intermediate.
Laura Rodebeck is moving from New Palestine Intermediate to New Palestine Elementary.
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