Ambridge is already a triple-A school when it comes to interscholastic sports.

Erv Weischedel is aiming to make Ambridge a triple-A school in a larger sense.

"I want to make it the best it can be in academics, arts and athletics, in that order," said Dr. Weischedel, who was hired July 16 as superintendent.

Dr. Weischedel, 49, has been superintendent of Cornell School District for the last six years, and was also a building principal there. He also served as a principal at Seneca Valley and Hempfield, and as assistant superintendent at North Allegheny.

Bernard Logan, president of the Ambridge Area school board, said Dr. Weischedel's experience at Seneca Valley and North Allegheny -- both large suburban districts -- was a factor in his hiring.

Ambridge includes suburban areas in Economy and Harmony and is hoping for growth spurred by a major mixed-use development that is planned in the heart of Ambridge.

But Dr. Logan said Dr. Weischedel's experience at Cornell was an important balancing factor. "He's used the socio-economic background there, which is very similar to parts of our school district," Dr. Logan said.

One thing that did not figure in, according to Dr. Logan, is the fact that Dr. Weischedel taught earth and space science at Ambridge in the early 1980s, along with coaching track, serving as an assistant coach in football and sponsoring the student newspaper.

"There were a few people who remembered him from that," Dr. Logan said, "but it's so long ago; it was not really a factor."

Dr. Weischedel, who holds a doctorate from Pitt and bachelor's and master's degrees from California University of Pennsylvania, said he had no specific action plans going into his new job, intending to get acclimated and get to know the people he's working with first.

He said he definitely wants to support Ambridge's renowned steel drum band and its other top-notch music programs, and wants to continue a legacy of sporting success.

"But when you talk about academics, arts and athletics, 'academics' always comes first," he said. "And that's the way it has to be."

Dr. Weischedel is replacing Kenneth Voss, who left the district in October to take a position with the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit in suburban Philadelphia. Denise Shipe, who served as acting superintendent, had some support on the school board for the permanent job; Dr. Weischedel was hired on a 6-3 vote.

Dr. Weischedel said he is proud that Cornell met state testing goals in every year of his tenure there, and that the district established some advanced placement classes and made other academic improvements.

In the arts, he said his time there saw a new band director arrive, saw improvements made to the auditorium and saw the launch of new music theory and chorus classes.

As for athletics, he is hopeful that an ongoing capital campaign will be successful in getting a new football stadium built.

But Ambridge, with 2,983 students, a brand-new high school, a junior high and three elementary schools, simply offers more opportunities and more challenges than did Cornell, one of the state's smallest districts with 722 students in one building.

"It just seemed like the right thing to do," Dr. Weischedel said.