Wise looking at a student's missing tooth during the first day of school at Sto-Rox Primary Center.
Identifying and nurturing students is an overarching goal for school districts, but when it comes to providing specialized attention? That’s where Student Services comes in.
Enter Carly Wise, Sto-Rox’s new Student Services Director, hired for the 2024-2025 school year. A school psychologist, Wise is making the jump to administrator after a career spent lifting up students to be the best versions of themselves.
A graduate of Washington High School, Wise performed her undergraduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh before moving to PennWest California for her Master’s degree and specialist studies. She stayed close to home, working for Intermediate Unit 1 where she was placed in the McGuffey School District. In a few short years, she made the leap there full-time and didn’t look back.
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“I worked at McGuffey School District for 18 years as a school psychologist,” said Wise. “I’ve been in special education all this time and the opportunity (in Sto-Rox) just came up to do more to lead programs and really dive deep into this community.”
It was an exciting chance for a new beginning and to make a difference, and Wise didn’t hesitate.
“In my heart I want to make sure that we’re doing all we can to support these students,” said Wise during an interview in her office at Sto-Rox Primary Center.
Now that she has traded the blue and gold of the Highlanders for the green and white of the Vikings, Wise is setting her sights on amplifying the good work being done in Sto-Rox.
Carly Wise.
“Our district is really great at providing so many resources. They pull from the community and bring them into the schools,” said Wise. “I want to bring everything together and get a clearer sense of how to streamline those types of services.”
A key function of the Student Services department is overseeing students who have special needs. In many cases, those students have IEPs - Individualized Education Plans - that outlines a student’s specific needs. Wise knows it’s a critical piece of the puzzle for Sto-Rox students under her department’s guidance.
“When you’re talking about an IEP, you’re identifying a child who many have a special need,” said Wise. “So whether that’s a specific learning disability - they may have autism, an intellectual disability - we’re rolling out some newer types of curriculum and interventions that provide more specific data which allow us to intervene even earlier."
In addition to the district’s use of the EarlyBird literacy screener for Kindergarten and first grade, Sto-Rox is also implementing new local assessments and data measurements such as the MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) for math and reading across all grade levels.
“We’re going to be able to take data from that three times a year,” said Wise, “and pull it in with their ‘success backpack’ and be able to predict future performance.”
The more data Wise has, she said, the better she will be able to match instruction to each student’s needs.
Student Services also works with the district’s students and families affected by homelessness, an effort spearheaded by Home/School Visitor Tim Messina.
“We’re seeing a lot of transient populations coming through that we’re able to service,” said Wise, who also works in private practice.
Another area of growing need for Sto-Rox Student Services is English as a Second Language, with the district’s efforts led by Jenay Engelbert.
“We have Jenay who is wonderful with the students,” said Wise. “She’s just amazing.”
Engelbert also leads the district’s gifted programming, and Wise is looking into rolling out a gifted identification screener to find and nurture exceptional students.
It all adds up to a wholehearted approach to supporting children. Wise, who is a mother herself, wants to ensure no student is left wanting.
“Every student has a voice, regardless of their background or education,” said Wise. “I want to making sure every kid has a voice and gets what they need.”