Richland School District hosting internationally recognized speaker for education summit

Joshua Byers, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·2 min read

Feb. 11—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — This year's presenter at the Richland School District educational speaker series will be Jimmy Casas, an internationally recognized figure in the field of education.

He'll share his unique insights into teaching on Feb. 19 at the high school.

Casas is the CEO and president of educational leadership company J Casas and Associates. He served for 22 years as a school leader.

During his tenure, Bettendorf High School was named one of the best in the country three times by Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report, and he was named the 2012 Iowa Principal of the Year, as well as was runner-up of the 2013 National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) National Principal of the Year award.

Casas is also the author of nine books, and he serves on the professional development faculty for NASSP and as principal adviser for Future Ready Schools.

"I just found him to be very engaging and very down to Earth in the way he talks to educators," Richland Director of Educational Services Brandon Bailey said.

That's why Casas was chosen for this year's event.

Bailey first heard Casas speak during an Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8 event last year and is familiar with his published works.

He said the educator often talks about a student-focused approach amd how teachers can work to be engaging as an instructor.

Those values align with Richland's principles, Bailey said, which is why Casas was chosen as the next speaker in the series that has taken place for the past eight years.

Bailey said having the inspirational speaker visit the region is good timing for February because about half the school year is complete, and he joked that, when the weather gets dreary, everyone could use a pick-me-up.

The director of education noted that Richland is fortunate to continue the series and have a school board that supports the effort.

Neighboring school districts are also invited to participate in the event and several often join in.

This year, the district expects administrators and faculty from Westmont Hilltop, Windber Area, Ferndale Area and Forest Hills to take part in the presentation.

For more information about Casas, visit www.jimmycasas.com.