Photo by Greg Reedy
Principal Anne Herzing speaks to children at Francis S. Grandinetti Elementary School.

By Greg Reedy
Sports Editor

Anne Herzing’s enjoyment of Elk County and education has led to a long career and a position as principal of Francis S. Grandinetti Elementary School.
Herzing is in her 34th year of education and the county resident came to Ridgway after a stint with the Clearfield School District.
“I’m actually from St. Marys and I live in Elk County,” Herzing said. “When I went back to school 15 years ago to get my administration degree, I applied at two school districts. One of them was Clearfield School District and I got the position 13 years ago. It’s a great school district but I also really liked Elk County and I wanted to get back into Elk County. When I found out that the previous principal was retiring, I applied for the position, came and visited the community, the town and the school. I interviewed for that and I was very lucky to get the position. I feel very lucky.”
She enjoys Ridgway as a tight community.
“All schools are basically the same, we all have the same standards, especially in Pennsylvania,” Herzing said. “I knew what direction the school needed to be going in. I already knew that Ridgway was a great community with having friends here and living in St. Marys. I like small communities. Very close-knit communities have excellent support for the educational system and I knew I was going to have that here.”
Herzing spoke about her role as principal.
“As a principal, my job is to make sure everybody is safe and the academics are going on as needed to help children to be successful when they grow up,” Herzing said. “Our mission here at the school is to empower all students to be successful and my job as an administrator is to make sure that children are successful and that they’re getting the educational needs that they need.”
As she started in education, Herzing’s experiences changed as she became a parent.
“When I first started teaching, I was not married and had no children,” Herzing said. “As years went on and I had my own children and had them going on to grade school, I felt there were some principals that were in schools that my children had that I didn’t feel were really advocates for the parent and also for the student. I’m one of those people that before I can complain about something, I should wear the shoes and find out what that’s all about. I wanted to go into administration to find out what it’s like on the other side of the desk. I became very interested in what the administration had to do and their direction and leadership in the school.”
Herzing said she didn’t doubt she would be in education but did have some questions when she started looking in administration.
“I always wanted to be a teacher ever since I was little,” Herzing said. “There was no doubt that I was going to be a teacher. Once I was a teacher, and went to school as an administrator, yes, there’s that doubt that you’ll get a job and once you get a job, you would like it and stay into it. Those were the goals I had set for myself, my own personal goals.”
As principal, Herzing said she enjoys seeing the children and their happiness.
“The smiles on their faces,” Herzing said. “I just came from visiting classrooms and just them showing me the success they’re having in the classroom, showing me a paper they’re doing, something they just drew, it’s the smile on their face that makes it rewarding.”
In addition to the children, Herzing said she likes working with the staff at the school and believe they make the school great.
“The staff is a dedicated staff that puts forth an effort that people just can’t imagine,” Herzing said. “The hours that these people put into their jobs so the kids can be successful. I sit in meetings day after day talking with teachers and the compassion that they have for education, it definitely shows walking down the halls here “
Herzing said she was proud to see the staff come together as one.
“Seeing the staff come together as a close-knit family,” Herzing said. “They had a situation where they had lost a dear colleague. To see the staff come together and to see them continue on with what that staff member had started within the school for herself, in seeing the staff continue on with that.”
Her work also involves much study of data and assessments taken by the students.
“We collect a lot of data with assessments all the time,” Herzing said. “What we’re aiming to do is take that data, study that data and use that to drive the instruction so that kids are successful. Instead of getting a test and getting a grade on that test and that was it, now what we’re trying to do is instead of the grade, we’re looking at how we can help this child.”
Herzing also wants the students to enjoy learning through different avenues.
“Days like Pink Day and Jersey Day, where kids get to wear the jerseys of their favorite teams, those kinds of things help individual students show their individuality, what they like and also to accept if a student likes another team,” Herzing said. “We learn that your opinion is your opinion and you respect people for that.
“Every month we try to do an activity for the students, focus on the holidays or the seasons,” Herzing said. “Even though it looks like we’re just having fun, they’re learning in a fun way. You don’t always just need a textbook or sitting at a desk. There’s a lot of opportunities outside the school.”
Herzing is still a learner herself.
“I’m in the process of taking NISL classes,” Herzing said. “All administrators have to take the courses. Every year, I still go take classes. You’re a lifelong learner when you’re an administrator.”  
She is learning plenty through feedback as principal. Herzing encourages and welcomes feedback from parents and former students.
“When a student comes back to visit the teachers that they had, that’s a very good measure that they felt comfortable in the school and really respected the school they went to,” Herzing said. “I usually stop and ask them ‘Did you feel we prepared you when you left the elementary school and went to the middle school?’ Their input is very important. When parents call with input or suggestions, I listen very carefully because that’s where you learn from your mistakes and you also learn where you can improve.”