WEST MIFFLIN — For more than three decades, Sharna Baker has served the West Mifflin Area School District in varying capacities.

She’s spent years in the classroom, having taught first and third grade at Homeville, as well as second grade at both New England and Clara Barton.

As an administrator, she’s served as a roving principal, a fourth- and fifth-grade principal, and as Homeville Elementary School’s principal.

Now, she’s bringing those decades of experience to Clara Barton Elementary School as its new principal.

“I have a wealth of teaching and administrative experience,” Baker said.

A native of Solon, Ohio, Baker attended Duquesne University, was hired by the West Mifflin Area School District in 1992 and has been a part of the Titan community since.

“My passion for education (keeps me around),” Baker said. “I love doing what I do.”

Baker has earned many honors during her career. She’s helped the district earn multiple grants, conducted the first elementary schoolwide field trip and in 2006 was named Teacher of the Year by the Mon-Yough PTA Council and was the West Mifflin representative in the Power For Kids Department of Education research study. She also served as a teacher’s union representative at one point.

With so much experience as both a teacher and an administrator, Baker is confident that she can make a positive impact at Clara Barton.

“Having been a teacher and an administrator, I have extensive, deep knowledge of content and curriculum which I feel enables me to (boost) academic performance, because I have it in theory as well as actually teaching,” she said.

Baker decided to shift from the classroom to the administrative role because she felt it was where she could make the biggest impact for students.

“Having spent so much time in the classroom and being the type of teacher that always went above and beyond, I decided that by being in a classroom, I could affect 20 children at a time,” she said. “But by being an administrator, I could affect 200-400 more children at a time. That’s my passion — providing the best education possible for children in the best environment possible with the highest standards.”

In addition to academics, Baker, who lives in West Mifflin, places a strong emphasis on community involvement with schools. She recently met with the PTA board to work on Clara Barton’s theme for this school year, “Travel,” and to begin developing that community-school partnership and to build a foundation Clara Barton Elementary and the community can work on together.  

“I feel it’s very important for the community to be involved in its schools,” she noted. “I’ve worked very closely with PTAs, teachers, and families to have a cohesive group that works together for the best interest of the children, so that they can have the best education possible.”

She added, “We’re (striving to) institute a positive environment, increase test scores and academic performance and have a family-like environment in our neighborhood school.”