Welcome, My name is Jasonn L. Denard and I am extremely excited to introduce myself as the new principal of American History High School. I am honored and anxious to begin our great work together. Over the past 14 years, I have worked as a teacher, teacher-leader and administrator in Plainfield, Paterson and Newark, N.J. As a Newark-born educator, I cherish the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with you to ensure that our children receive a high-quality education. I plan on spending a great deal of time getting to know the interests, strengths and growth areas of our staff and students alike.

My goal is to ensure that all staff and students are provided with a forum and a place to learn and grow. This has been my philosophy since I began my career teaching.  I hold a BA in English and Secondary Education and an MA in Educational Leadership, Management and Policy from Seton Hall University.   I was a middle and high school English teacher before accepting a position as a Humanities Department Chair (DC). In that role, I coached/supervised teachers, served as the testing coordinator, and chair of the Professional Development Committee. In 2013, I left the Newark Publc Schools to advance my career in the position of Vice Principal in Paterson, NJ.

In Paterson, I completed the Pre-K – 12 circle, so to speak. I was Vice Principal of a Pre-K-8 school. In just one short year we saw test scores increase by nearly 40% in mathematics and 20% in Language Arts. After two years there, I was promoted to principal of a brand new school, which we named, The Paterson Leadership Academy for Young Men. In that role, my team and I developed the theme, vision and curricular design for the school. I eventually left that post for an opportunity to come back to work in my hometown.

I am so grateful to have the opportunity to bring all that I have experienced and learned with me to our school. I look forward to getting to know and learning from our students, parents and teachers!

“Excellence is the Standard”