Two Deer Lakes principals are receiving their flowers after years of hard work.
Jodi Vanderschaaff, East Union Intermediate Center principal, and Samantha Abate, Deer Lakes Middle School principal, were two of 15 Allegheny County administrators awarded as Pittsburgh Penguins Most Valuable Principals.
Vanderschaaff is in her seventh year as East Union’s principal. With 23 years in education, Vanderschaaff has been nominated for the award in the past.
Similarly, Abate has been nominated as well. She’s in her third year as principal and boasts 18 years in education. The women have celebrated each other’s nominations in the past.
The morning of Jan. 5, they learned 2026 was their year.
“It was nice to be recognized for the hard work we put in,” Vanderschaaff said.
The program, run by the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation, the Grable Foundation and the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, awards the MVP titles to administrators based on exceptional leadership, commitment to teaching and learning, and dedication to student success.
Abate credits part of her success to the collaborative efforts of every worker in the middle school. She said she has a staff full of people on a mission to create a good learning environment for students.
Abate said she constantly asks herself, “How are we building our learning community within the building, and what can we do to strengthen that community?”
Vanderschaaff said she’s always self-evaluating and asking herself if she did everything she could to get students what they need. She said the process she adheres to is simple.
“My motto is ‘Do what’s best for the kids,’ ” Vanderschaaff said.
Both women are Deer Lakes graduates and work with other alumni on their staffs or within their buildings.
“I think it speaks to the love of this place,” Vanderschaaff said. “If it was something that we didn’t think would serve our own children well, we wouldn’t have planted our roots here.”
In celebration of their awards, Vanderschaaff and Abate will be given a shoutout at a Penguins game in March and will receive a custom Penguins jersey, party suite tickets and a $1,000 donation to their schools.
Abate is hoping to be able to put the funds toward her students’ upcoming Fun Day. The program is in celebration of the school being once again named a Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn School to Watch.
Vanderschaaff isn’t quite sure what her school’s $1,000 will be used for yet. She’s been looking into wellness equipment or something that could be added to the school’s playground.
