Not only will BHS students find newly-renovated facilities this year, but a new assistant principal as well.

Ryan Patti, previously assistant principal of Rocky River High School in Charlotte, N.C., has been hired to replace Paul Chase. Prior to being an administrator, Patti was a high school math teacher.

Patti, 30, a graduate of West Geauga High School, has resided in North Carolina for the past six years. He is looking forward to returning to his roots in the Cleveland area.

“I want to give back to the [region] that gave me so much,” he said.

After graduating from West Geauga, Patti went on to receive an undergraduate degree in mathematics and math education from Ohio University.

Patti feels that his time in North Carolina gave him perspective on what technologies and programs work best for students, though he is not looking to change any school policies just yet.

“I want to get [settled in at BHS] before I’d ever want to start implementing changes,” he said.

Superintendent Dr. Richard Markwardt feels that it is important for administrators to build strong connections. “The first thing [Patti] is going to have to do is develop a relationship with the students and staff,” he said.

It was necessary for Markwardt to look outside the district for Chase’s replacement. “Nobody from the district applied,” he said.

After Markwardt reassigned the principal positions, Chase was able to move to the middle school principalship, a job in which he has previously expressed interest.

District administrators spent a great deal of time over the summer searching for the best candidate to become assistant principal.

“You have to look for a number of different things,” Markwardt said, explaining that the highest priority was to select a candidate who possessed the proper license from the state, which shows they have taken certain coursework allowing them to do the job.

“I also look at [each candidate’s] work history… generally speaking, if they move a lot, it’s a problem for me, because they weren’t happy any place,” he said.

Markwardt explained he also looked at the experience each candidate possessed, how involved each candidate was in their previous roles, and how they handle complex decision making.

“The assistant principal has to have a certain degree of firmness,” Markwardt said, explaining that their primary role relates to discipline.

However, Markwardt said the deciding factor was the candidate’s attitude during the interview process.

“I can teach skills. I can’t teach attitude, and I can rarely change it,” he said.

This isn’t the first time Markwardt has hired a relatively young administrator. In 2006, he brought on several administrators including Chase and former BHS principal and current district Assistant Superintendent Robert Hardis.

Chase, a former middle school teacher, said he will miss the relationships he has built over the past seven years at BHS.

However, he adds that he is looking forward to executing the duties of his new position.

“I’m very excited about my new opportunity,” Chase said.

“I had a lot of fun, as much as this job is hard,” he said of his time at BHS.

Chase feels that becoming a principal will be a big change.

“As an assistant principal, you’re second in the chain of command, and… you make a lot of decisions, but, ultimately the decisions rest with the principal,” he said.

Chase said his goals for BMS students are similar to those he held for students at BHS: guiding them to become more knowledgeable, lifelong learners.

Chase added that a key responsibility at BMS will be to prepare them to move on to  high school.

Once Patti has settled into his new position at BHS, his goal is to get students the assistance they need in order to succeed.

“[I want to see] ways that I can impact the student body,” Patti said.