The Leary and Willow Dale communities couldn't get any luckier! Dr. Dunar is a gem amongst educators. I have never met a principal with a bigger heart and the absolute pure resolve to do what improves the children's learning experience. Her caring and inspiring attitude was a wonderful gift to my children when they attended Leary and I have no doubt that she will do great things for this combined school. Congratulations Dr. Dunar! Those children are certainly lucky to have you!

Now I don't know what to do. Do I leave Kristin at McDonald or transfer her to Willow Dale. Our street was being redistricted to Willow Dale and Kristin said that she wanted to stay at McDonald. I don't really know Dr. Dunar but the 2 times I have met her she seems very nice.

I am soooo thrilled to hear the news about Dr. Dunar! She is such a warm, caring and loving person. Not to mention and EXCELLENT PRINCIPAL!! The kids as well as the parents and teachers just LOVE her. She will be a great edition to Willow Dale. I feel so much better with the move to the new school knowing that she will be there to run things. This is one very happy mom!!!!!

Our daughter was fortunate enough to have Dr. Dunar as principal of Leary a few years ago. Now our son is fortunate enough to have her at Willow Dale! Dr. Dunar is a kind, warm, energetic woman who truly loves her students and takes the time to know everyone, including the parents, and always takes a moment to chat. As a new member of the Willow Dale Home and School Association, I feel very lucky that I will get the chance to work with her during the 2011-12 school year!

I for one was overjoyed to find out that Dr. Dunar will be the principal when September rolls around! I was lucky enough for my sons to have her as principal for a few of their years at Leary. And now that I know she will be there for the transition I just know that it will go alot more smoothly for my daughter who will be attending Willow Dale as a 2nd grader.
Mary Alice is spot on when she said the environment at Leary was brighter because of Dr. Dunar. Leary and Willow Dale parents, we are very lucky to have Dr. Dunar holding the reigns at our newly combined school!

All I can say is the first comments out of my sons mouth today when he walked in the door after school were "Dad did you hear the great news, Dr. Dunar is coming to Willow Dale with us". Yes you heard right he said "US". That just puts it all in a nut shell for me. Welcome back Dr. Dunar, you were missed dearly. Look forward to wonderful years ahead!!!!

While I can see why the Leary parents would be excited to have thier principal coming over to Willow Dale with them so they have somethng familiar...I find it atrocious that the Willow Dale community was not informed of this decision until Friday!!! I cannot believe that the Centennial School District and School Board would let something like this happen and not take some kind of action for making an announcement to 1 school, and this publication, and not so much as give those of us at Willow Dale the courtesy of even and email!!
Mrs. Wettstein was a wonderful principal at Willow Dale for the past 10 years! She cared very much about her staff as well as all of the children under her care. She initiated many programs for them and was even known to take her own time to run clubs such as, most recently, the Drama Club and Speed Stacking clubs for the students. She is now, and will be missed by many, many people and deserves more than a one line mention at the bottom of an article!
ocious

@Susan- You should be happy to have Dr. Dunar coming to your school, as you can read from above there is nothing but good things people have to say about her... And as to you not being advised about the situation, our children are being moved without choice as well to a completely different school... I dont know much about WETTSTEIN but speaking to a lot of pepole who know of her, I have heard nothing GOOD and I also beg to differ about the teachers fellings as well. Wettstein was supposed to be running both Willow Dale and Leary, I dont think I saw her once at Leary this year, oh excuse me, once at back to school night and I had no idea who she was because she never even introduced herself. Dr. Dunar would have been at the front doors greeting everyone and if she did not know you, she would have introduced herself. All I know is that Wettstein all of a sudden resigned, without explantion!!! That does not rasie a RED FLAG for you???? Maybe you should GOOGLE her name and read up on her, she should have never even been hired to begin with... Again there is not a better person than Dr. Dunar for the job, you will see.

Well said my opinion works. I don't have anything to add because you took the words right out of my mouth.

Susan instead of finding the situation atrocious why not look @ Dr. Dunar's arrival to Willow Dale as a blessing. Sometimes life is full of surprises and this is a wonderful one!

My opinion works... I'm with you on google! It's full of interesting information. Thank you for the suggestion. Hopefully Willow Dale's parents will see that this is a blessing for all the families!
As parents we should all be grateful when nurturing people come into our kid's lives. Willow Dale is not only getting an amazing principal but some truly amazing teachers as well.
I can honestly say that in all the schools my kids have attended whether they were Catholic schools, public schools, city schools or suburban schools Dr. Dunar was hands down the best one of all!
She will have the new elementary school feeling like one big happy community in no time! This is one of the best decisions this school district has ever made:)

Google is not Gospel when it comes to a persons character.
I'm sure Donna Dunar is an asset to the Centennial School District community, just as Denise Wettstein spent the past 10 years being a great asset to the Centennial School District community.

Regarding "RED FLAGS", it's a red flag when someone doesn't use a legitimate name to comment.

I couldn't be happier to have Dr Dunar as Willow Dale's new Principal!!
I feel as if i can finally be a part of my 2 childrens school life. I lamented the
tragedy of spending 5 more years under the dictatorship of Denise Wettstein.
There is nothing good that I can impart regarding her or the rest of the front office.
It was a very unwelcoming place to come to and I dreaded having to step foot across the
threshold. I'd be angry for the rest of the day because without fail I would be made to
feel like I didn't belong. I wanted to spend as little time as possible there
which was sad to say the least.
She played favorites with the parents and the rest of us were treated as "persona non gratis."
Dr Dunar's new appointment as Principal of Willow Dale will be welcomed like a
ray of sunshine.
I hope and pray that Denise Wettstein will NEVER be in the position of Elementary
School Principal, she has zero people skills. Prison warden would be a more suitable
position for her type of personality.
She shouldn't have gotten the position of Principal in the first place.
Whatever happened to background checks???
I know many,many people that were soooooo happy she was gone.
I personally can't wait til September.

That is "certain parents" not most parents that she'd play favorites with

One word. F E L I C I D A D E S to the children attending Willow Dale next September.
When you arrived to school say Hello to your wonderful new Principal.
She has been the best that Centennial ever had. I know well about it I was on the Board when she was hire to wrtok at the HIgh School as an Assistance Principal.
Congratulations, Doctor Dunar now I feel a little bit better that my kids from Longstreth will be at Wilow Dale some time soon.

Feeling sad for those parents and children who wrote comments (above) about how great Dr. Dunar is .... now that she has left Centennial and won't be Willow Dale's principal. Centennial, YOU SUCK!