Getting to know: Casey Weiss

By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle

— LOCAL —

The road hasn’t necessarily been long, but it has been rather busy.

Casey Weiss, the newest assistant principal for fifth- through 12th-graders at Hillel Academy, said the roots of her daily inspi ration date to September 2013, when she started teaching preschoolers at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh.

“Ever since then, I haven’t stopped,” said Weiss, a Squirrel Hill resident who grew up in nearby Shadyside. “I’ve had a lot of energy my whole life. And I feel I don’t work when I’m with kids. It’s corny, but it’s true.”

Keeping track of Weiss — the second-eldest daughter of Jewish community stalwarts Amy and Lou Weiss, and the sister of journalist Bari Weiss — is a job in and of itself.

A firefighter’s wife and mother of two, Weiss spent her last seven years before coming to Hillel this autumn teaching fourth-grade English at Pittsburgh Colfax Elementary School. She also is an adjunct professor at Carlow University in the education department.

At Hillel, she’s quite busy. In addition to teaching seventh-grade boys English, Weiss is crafting a new guidance counseling program, mentoring teachers and creating assessment tools to help streamline processes for kids when they enter Hillel for the first time. She plans professional development opportunities for Hillel staff and is organizing a summer internship program for its high school students — another thread in her growing web to prepare her students for life after Hillel Academy.

And she is the Yeshiva University Model UN coach for Hillel Academy’s team.

Weiss loves Hillel Academy. It’s no coincidence her two children, Kobi and Maya, are