Meet The Person:

Mr. Dennis M. Williams Jr. - Principal, Hatboro-Horsham High School

Mr. Williams has been in the education field for 17 years now with 7 of those years as a Social Studies teacher . He is currently in his 10th year as an administrator, 9 of them as the building principal.

Dennis has been selected to speak at various county, regional and national conferences in his tenure as Principal. He has also participated on the Pennsylvania Department of Education panels and has received awards and recognition for his commitment in the education field.

Dennis is passionate about creating an environment where students and faculty are comfortable, feel safe and believe that there is the continuous potential for growth academically, professionally, socially and emotionally. The excitement and unexpected nature of ever day is exciting to him. Mr. Williams enjoys the positive impact his leadership can have on an organization. He likes watching the passion and innovation exhibited by some of the teachers and the desire they have to make the learning process relevant and engaging for students. He takes pleasure in his profession and the impact that he is able to have on an entire organization with a clear and focused vision, a talented staff and a community that supports what we do.

Influence 7/52Mr. Dennis M. Williams Jr. Dennis standing in front of the High School

Influence: 

Dennis is my boss. And he fits the description - the students and staff respect him. He is the kind of guy you like working for. He is understanding but can put the hammer down when he needs to! He is a big guy, dresses well and doesn't mess around! But, he is also understanding. He was a teacher and understands how things work. He lets the staff do their thing and handle our business in the classroom. And he feels that is where we as a staff can be successful. And to me, that is paramount.

I first contacted Dennis back in the Spring of 2007. I was teaching at Holicong Middle School for Central Bucks School District. I got that job right out of college and life was good. But I just wasn't feeling the middle school vibe even though I enjoyed the staff at Holicong. So I found out that Hatboro-Horsham (HH) was hiring a Technology Education teacher at the High School. I really knew nothing about HH but figured I should inquire. So I called the contact person, who was Mr. Williams. Little did I know, he was the Principal! So I called him and we spoke for a few minutes and he sounded like a great guy and seemed excited that I was interested in the job. He then gave me Lori Gallagher's name (you will see her soon!) Lori was the department head of the Family Consumer Science, Art and Technology Education department. So I gave her a call and she was great in describing the school, department, etc.  Long story short, after a great interview, I got the job. Leaving Holicong was not easy and honestly was one of the hardest career decisions I have ever made. But I have not regretted that decision and have loved every second of being here at HH. And Dennis is one of those reasons why.

Every school has its issues, hurdles and trying times. In today's education field, times have never been harder. Terrible decisions from the State and National level force schools into a corner in nearly every scenario. We have become a society solely dependent upon test scores. How did your school/student score in this test, in that test, etc. It's been somehow used to determine how good a school is these days. Which is a shame because testing has no real world value in society.  Can you imagine coming out of college, going in for an interview and the interviewer going "so, back in the 11th grade, how did you test on your Keystone Science test?" Get out. It's meaningless. The employer will be asking you what type of real world experience you have in your field, what  can you contribute to your staff/colleagues , how involved are you in extra-curricular activities, do you belong to any professional organizations, etc. We are forced to teach to the test. Not to the student. And that is a sad part of today's education. The decisions being passed down are short sighted. Tax payers want teachers and schools held accountable. And honestly, there is nothing wrong with that. But when you have to find a way to analyze a teacher/administrator and do it by test scores alone, there is a major flaw there.

Dennis is a great leader and someone who understands the hurdles we face going forward. He is the perfect guy to delegate when he needs to and be hands off when he needs to. You can't ask for much more than that!