Richard Sullivan has been hired by Wadsworth High School as an assistant principal following two open positions being left at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. 

Sullivan will be the Freshmen Unit Principal for WHS. He spent his first 11 years in education with the Ravenna School District. For nine years he was a social studies teacher at Ravenna High School, and for two years he was an assistant principal at Brown Middle School. 

He resides in Stow with his wife and three-year-old son, but his wife and her family are from Wadsworth which has allowed him to become very involved with the community. 

“I, over the last decade, have come into Wadsworth for the 4th of July and I got to meet with and talk with a lot of members of the community, whether they be family friends of ours or family members,” Sullivan said. 

One of the reasons that he wanted to teach at Wadsworth is because he saw how successful family friends who graduated from Wadsworth were. 

“It’s a really endearing community to support and a lot of people have kind of alluded to the fact that it is a very special place and I’m already starting to see that,” Sullivan said. 

He is looking forward to meeting and learning about the students at WHS. 

“This first year, I want to learn as much as I can about the specific needs of our students and our staff, and I want to fill this role that I was hired to fill as much as possible this first year, and give as much of a seamless transition, because Mr. Sieber and Mrs. Hamsher, with them leaving, and Mrs. Romano and myself stepping in, we are all too aware that there is a big gap left,” Sullivan said. “Fortunately, we still have Dr. Suber and Mr. Berlin, and they have been helping us get really used to it, but my goal this year is to learn as much as I can and try not to miss a single beat with the roles that Mr. Sieber and Mrs. Hamsher had.”

Additionally, he has experience with Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) programs. 

“I know just how impactful programs through PBIS can be so I’m really excited to help Mrs. Romano and our PBIS committee work together to better the school for students and staff,” Sullivan said. “But I need to learn first, and I’ll see what happens next.”

Outside of school, he enjoys spending time with his family.

“The first thing that you need to know about me is I love my family, and they’re the greatest support structure that anybody could ever ask for,” Sullivan said. 

He has been interested in education and understood its importance since a young age. 

“From a very young age, I always believed in the power of public education and it is the most noble of callings,” Sullivan said. 

WHS Principal Dr. Suber had positive feedback to share about Sullivan. 

“He has been a great addition to the staff,” Suber said. “He’s an extremely hard worker who is committed to student success. He is enthusiastic, creative, and ready to work for our students, staff, and community.”

Sullivan is grateful for the opportunity to teach at WHS and is looking forward to this school year. 

“I’m really grateful to be here, and I am so excited to take this next step in my personal and professional career, but to be working with all of the staff members and students here at Wadsworth High School is already leaving such a positive impact on me,” Sullivan said.