The Bobcats have a new superintendent and he’s excited to hit the ground running.

Beaver Area is happy to welcome Dr. Sean Aiken to the district as the new superintendent replacing Dr. Mark Holtzman who moved to the superintendent position at Hempfield Area School District in July.

Dr. Aiken educational journey began at Greater Works Academy, a small private school in Monroeville, where he graduated in 1989. He then attended Malone University in Canton, Ohio, then he went to Regent University in Virginia Beach, then the University of Pittsburgh for his superintendent letter of eligibility, and lastly he attended Point Park University for his doctorate in educational leadership.

Previously, he was the superintendent at Shaler for the past nine years and has been in education as a teacher, athletic director, assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent for the past 30 years.

Aspiring to be a leader, Dr. Aiken felt as if there was a natural progression of moving into the superintendent position over time due to his love of leadership. He felt that he could be more impactful to a whole district as he likes to be able to interact with everyone from the students to the bus drivers and custodians.

Dr. Aiken also likes to have everything in the district to be student-based and that every decision he makes is about them as he wants to place students’ needs above everything else and make that the number-one priority.

Additionally, he loves to see students thrive as well as teachers connect with students to help them do their best work. Seeing students meet their goals and dreams as well as teachers helping them get there is one of his favorite parts about the job.

Growing up in Western Pennsylvania, Dr. Aiken embraced the toughness and grittiness that comes with living in the area and he feels that it helped foster his love for the community and his interest in seeing the region thrive.

Dr. Aiken feels that his biggest strength is collaborative leadership which is the ability to empower the students and teachers. His personal goal is to make sure everyone within the district can be the best version of themselves.

Seeing students become the people that they were created to become and making sure they understand that the district staff and community care deeply for them as well as creating an environment where the students and staff can thrive is the most satisfying part of his job.

“It brings a tremendous sense of fulfillment to me as a school superintendent,” said Dr. Aiken.

However, if Dr. Aiken could return to teaching in a different capacity, he would want to do something with literacy due to the importance of reading, thinking, and writing. He would also want to tie in a form of getting students to move and be active as he loves the connection between physical fitness, mental health, and academic preparedness.

Dr. Aiken’s biggest inspiration is his older brother who just retired from the Navy as an Admiral. Dr. Aiken said his brother was always a role model to him due to his pursuit of excellence in everything he does. Dr. Aiken also mentioned his father who had a toughness and a work ethic as well as other attributes that Dr. Aiken would like to develop and cultivate.

Dr. Aiken would like the students to know that he cares about them as people and that he knows they have a seed of greatness inside of them and that the staff would like to help cultivate that seed of greatness. He also sees the students as more than just students or athletes; he sees them as a whole person and he believes in them—they can accomplish anything they want to accomplish.

Welcome, Dr. Aiken!