New Principal Selected For Summit Middle School

SUMMIT, NJ — A little more than a week after Dr. Donna Gallo announced her resignation as principal of Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School, the district has selected a replacement.

Current Assistant Principal John Ciferni has been selected to serve as the next principal of the Middle School, which was approved by the Summit Board of Education on Thursday night.

As with any administrative hire, Summit Public Schools hosts a staff and parent focus group and collects feedback through a survey to create a profile of a successful school leader.

“Upon evaluating feedback from both focus groups and survey responses, it was evident that the best candidate for this position was currently working in an administrative capacity at the Middle School," said Scott Hough, Superintendent of SummitPublic Schools. "Therefore, a lengthy search process was not warranted.I have the utmost confidence in Mr. Ciferni, and anticipate great success with him as the leader of Summit Middle School.”

Ciferni has been serving as the Assistant Principal of Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School for the past four years.

During this time, Ciferni has designed and implemented professional development for the social studies department, worked with central office and curriculum coaches on the creation and implementation of interdisciplinary units and conducted transition meetings/programs for elementary and high school students and families, according to the district.

In addition, Ciferni serves as a member of the District Equity and Anti-Bias Committee, has developed and administered a "Student of the Month" program and created the "Lawton Leaders Positive Behavior Program" to combat the rise of discipline issues post-pandemic.

"I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve both LCJSMS and the Summit Public Schools in this capacity,” Ciferni said. “Our school community has made great strides during the last few years, and I look forward to years of continued growth.”

Current Middle School Principal, Dr. Donna Gallo, will continue to assist in the leadership transition with Ciferni.

Gallo announced her resignation in August after accepting a position as
Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Madison Public Schools.

Read more: Resignation Of Summit Principal Leaves District Scrambling

Have a news tip? Email remy.samuels@patch.com.