Our Head of School – Mr. Justin Fischetti
Mr. Fischetti began as Head of School at Wilmington Academy of Arts and Sciences in July of 2023, coming to the school with 17 years of educational experience, including serving as Charles P. Murray Middle School Principal, John T. Hoggard High School Assistant Principal, and New Hanover High School Lyceum Academy Instructor, along with various internship experiences and membership within multiple educational boards and committees.
Mr. Fischetti began his pursuit of teaching as a high school student in the Emsley A Laney High School Teacher Cadet Program, interning at Wrightsboro Elementary School in a 4th Grade Science classroom. As an undergraduate North Carolina Teaching Fellow at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Mr. Fischetti completed internship experiences at Myrtle Grove Middle School, Myrtle Grove Christian School, Hoggard High School, and New Hanover High School. After graduation, Mr. Fischetti taught High School Social Studies at Southern Lee High School in Sanford, NC for two years, and New Hanover High School for 6 years, before pursuing a degree in school administration.
At New Hanover High School Mr. Fischetti taught AP U.S. History and AP World History within the Lyceum Academy. At both Southern Lee and New Hanover High Schools, Mr. Fischetti served as Head Cross Country and Track Coach.
As a North Carolina Principal Fellow, Mr. Fischetti served as an administrative intern at DC Virgo Preparatory Academy, and Bradley Creek Elementary School. As an Assistant Principal, Mr. Fischetti worked closely with the Hoggard IB program as the administrative liaison, and as Principal supported high student growth for AIG learners at Murray.
Mr. Fischetti’s experience working with gifted and highly motivated students made Wilmington Academy of Arts and Sciences a natural fit. WAAS is a joyful, positive, and learning-focused school that offers an appropriately challenging academic environment designed for our students to excel. It is Mr. Fischetti’s goal to support and further develop the challenging academic curriculum at WAAS, in a safe, nurturing environment dedicated to preparing students to thrive at the high school and collegiate level, as well as to become leaders among their peers. Mr. Fischetti thanks our WAAS families, the Board of Trustees and our entire staff for the opportunity to serve this incredible school community!
Education
- Master of School Administration, University of North Carolina Wilmington
- Bachelor of Arts in History, University of North Carolina Wilmington
Certification
- NC School Administration
- NC Secondary Social Studies, 9-12
Experience
- Principal, Charles P. Murray Middle School
- Assistant Principal, John T. Hoggard High School
- Social Studies Teacher, New Hanover High School, Lyceum Academy
- Social Studies Teacher, Southern Lee High School
Awards/Honors
- CREATE Board of Directors
- North Carolina Principal Fellow
- Advanced Placement U.S. History Exam Grader
- Advanced Placement U.S. History and World History Certified Teacher
- North Carolina Teaching Fellow
Owlsome Observations
WAAS Science Olympiad Excels at the 2025 NC State Wolfpack Invitational!
Congratulations to our Varsity and JV Gold Science Olympiad Teams who competed Saturday in the Wolfpack Invitational at NC State University!The Varsity team placed 4th in Varsity and 4th overall in a very competitive field of more than 30 teams! The JV Gold Team...
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