Lancaster has been with West Essex for almost 12 years, the bulk of which as a middle school English teacher. He was named a Governor’s Teacher of the Year in the 2013-2014 school year, and he has also been the middle school’s basketball and baseball coach. The former Marine is also the director of The Gifted Child Society, a Bergen County-based non-profit.
According to Verona Superintendent Rui Dionisio, Lancaster is a “proponent and advocate” for Google apps for education, which are being rolled out in all Verona Schools. Lancaster succeeds David Galbierczyk, who is moving to a new position at H.B. Whitehorne as principal of one of the two new “houses” that are being implemented at the middle school this fall.
Lancaster’s hiring means that there will be entirely new leadership team at VHS this fall. In June, the BOE hired Josh Cogdill, an assistant principal in the Westwood Regional School District, as the new principal at Verona High School. He takes over from Glenn Cesa, who is taking a new role as director of athletics and the head of a district-wide initiative for health services and peer leadership programs.
