Tom Stabile

Despite earning many personal awards and achievements, Mr. Tom Stabile, principal of Highlands Middle School, is a man who lauds the accomplishments of others. Beginning with a college teacher who urged him to go into the education field, Mr. Stabile's words were filled with praise and gratitude for those who have taught him and those he works with now.

During the Vietnam era Mr. Stabile attended Slippery Rock University and was elected President of the Phi Epsilon Kappa, an honorary physical education fraternity. While at college, Mr. Stabile was an exceptional athlete, excelling in both football and baseball. His senior year, he earned the title of NCAA All-American in baseball and was later inducted into the Slippery Rock Hall of Fame.

Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree, he began teaching health and physical education at Highlands High School and embarked on his career as a football coach. In addition, he coached the baseball team. In 1971 he received his Master of Science degree from Slippery Rock and later obtained Secondary Principal Certification from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

It was his love for these two sports that gave him an ardent ambition to be a head coach. In 1985, he accepted the position of head coach for the Highlands Jr. High Football team. Mr. Stabile now had the opportunity to invest in the lives of his players, teaching them the skills that he had learned. After coaching football for 27 years, and baseball for five years, Mr. Stabile directed his energies to a new field and became the Assistant Principal of Highlands Middle School. With eight years at the administrative level, he very recently took over as Principal.

Mr. Stabile has much to be proud of at Highlands Middle School. He enthusiastically commends the dedication of his faculty and the accomplishments of the students, noting that the Pennsylvania Assessment (PSSA) scores have increased every year. About one third of the teachers have been awarded at the state and local level for their outstanding teaching performance.

In addition, through the leadership of Dr. Karol Gacik, the former principal, who is now the Assistant Superintendent, Highlands Middle School has developed many innovative programs to enrich the learning experience. One such innovation is a system of teaching teams or "communities" in which students have only five different teachers throughout their years of middle school. Integrating the subject areas, these teams provide grand scale culminating unit activities such as a medieval banquet complete with period décor and costumes.

As a result of their efforts, the school received the 2000 - 2001 Don Eichhorn Award for the Most Outstanding Middle School in Pennsylvania. Moreover, Mr. Stabile applauds the school board and the upper administration for their support and for embracing excellence in education. He notes that the nearly completed renovation project costing 14 million dollars has made their building one of the finest in the state.

Along with all the responsibilities of being an administrator, Mr. Stabile has two other important jobs. First, he is a father to two grown children, Jonathan and Kristen. Second, he has an incredible hobby. Over 25 years ago he began officiating college basketball and football games, working his way up the ladder to Division I colleges such as Notre Dame, Miami, and Penn State. In 1995 he was accepted as an official into the NFL. Traveling all over the U.S., as well as going to Europe and Tokyo, he has talked with many football stars. Yet to Mr. Stabile, these stars pale in comparison to the brilliance that shines from his colleagues. He calls them his "everyday heroes," because they "go the extra mile to help students succeed."