Welcome to another year at Arts Academy Charter Middle School!
A new year brings new opportunities to sharpen our artistic focus, amplify student voices, and build a vibrant community where every individual is heard and celebrated.
I began my career as a math teacher at the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, focusing on building strong student relationships, making math accessible, and helping students find their confidence. My career then took me away from the Valley, leading outdoor education and school administration in Nevada and Rhode Island, where I learned the true value of creative self-expression as both a therapeutic tool and a personal anchor. I returned to the Valley specifically to lead AACMS because I deeply believe in our mission of blending world-class arts with rigorous academics.
As we enter this new school year, my goal is to deepen our focus in both the classroom and the studio while amplifying student voice. We want AACMS to be a place where your unique perspectives shape our community, and where your dedication prepares you for whatever personal and professional goals you choose to pursue. I am honored to partner with you on this journey.
Jamie Hill, M.Ed
Principal
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I grew up in Middletown, NY, but I have been a Lehigh Valley resident since I came to Moravian College in 1989. I have been a full-time musician, a bicycle mechanic and a music store salesman. I got my teaching certification in the fall of 2011 and was one of the first people hired by the Arts Academy when the school started up that following spring. I was hired to teach Social Studies and ELA for 6th grade. Soon, it became evident we would need a guitar teacher, so that was worked into my job description. Then we needed someone to do sound and lights for all of our performances, so I took that on, as well. My job was some combination of all of those things until the end of last year when I was asked to take over as the Executive Director after Bill Fitzpatrick retired.
In my spare time, I enjoy mountain biking and playing music in solo performances, my acoustic duo, RED, and with my yet-unnamed new band.
Having been involved with the school on so many levels since the very beginning, I have seen what can be great about it and what needs improvement. I have reveled in successes and learned from failures. I am here to try to make the school stronger and more successful going forward. I see my job to be a support position. I am here to remove roadblocks for administration, faculty, staff, and students. I started this year with an extremely long list of goals and questions. That list is very short now, so I will spend the summer coming up with a new list. Moving forward, I want to continue to examine the way we do things to make sure we are doing the best for our students, faculty, and staff that we can. Our school has been evolving consistently for 14 years, but it is time to make sure our efforts are focused on the right areas.
Karl J. Eisenhart
Executive Director