River Hill High School

Principal – John DiFato, Ed.D.

12101 Clarksville Pike (Route 108), Clarksville, MD 21029 (Google map)

410-313-7120

410-313-7406, fax

Niche.com Award - #1 Best Public High School in Baltimore Area

View certificate of recognition

 

River Hill's Administrative Team

Dr. John DiFato, Principal- John_difato@hcpss.org

 

Jimmy Creighton, Athletic and Activities Manager- James_Creighton@hcpss.org

Jimmy Creighton enters his third year as Athletics and Activities Manager at River Hill High School.  He began his educational career as a physical education teacher at Huntington High School in Long Island, NY (2007-2010).  He also coached football, basketball & lacrosse during his tenure there. He moved to Maryland in 2010, taking a physical education position at Howard High School.  He spent eleven years at Howard, serving as the varsity head boys lacrosse coach, winning a state championship in 2015. He served as instructional team leader for five years at Howard as well. His undergraduate degree was earned in physical education at Salisbury University, where he earned four varsity letters on the men's lacrosse team.  He was a part of four national championship teams at Salisbury (3 as a player, 1 as an asst. coach). He earned his Master's degree in education from Salisbury University.  He has served as the U.S.A. Lacrosse chairperson for Howard County lacrosse coaches and the county representative for the Maryland State Lacrosse Coaches Association. Mr. Creighton is an advocate of athletics & activities and is a firm believer that participation in them plays an important role in shaping one's success in the classroom and later on in life.  He has a passion for leadership through athletics/activities.

Rick Robb, Assistant Principal- Rick_Robb@hcpss.org

Rick Robb’s background includes spending thirteen years in information technology working at companies like Ernst and Young, Proctor and Gamble, and numerous state and county governments.  Soon after, he began working with youth in the juvenile and rehabilitation centers in Ohio and Maryland. Upon receiving his English / Education degree, he started his teaching career in Prince George’s County at Kettering Middle School, Duval High School, and Eleanor Roosevelt High School.  In 2000, Mr. Robb transferred to the Howard County School System where he taught English at River Hill High School for eleven years.  He also coached tennis at Roosevelt for five years and River Hill for two years. He acquired his Masters in School Counseling and became Principal of Howard County’s Evening School for seven years and Howard County’s Comprehensive Summer School program for ten years. He was Assistant Principal at Long Reach High School and Marriotts Ridge High School, and the Administrator for the Applications and Research Laboratory (ARL).  Recently, Mr. Robb has been the Principal of Patuxent Valley Middle School for seven years. He also served on the OhanaHC for three years; and, he is a graduate of Leadership Howard County (Class of 2017). Mr. Robb is a strong proponent for real-world preparedness for students as they move though their K-12 experience.

Farah Jawhar, Assistant Principal- Farah_Jawhar@hcpss.org

Farah Jawhar is excited to join River Hill High School as an Assistant Principal after serving 7 years as a mathematics teacher in HCPSS. She was born in Jacksonville, Florida, but moved to Maryland at a young age. She is an HCPSS graduate and earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from UMBC and a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from McDaniel College. She loves reading, watching football, and spending time with her fiancé and two dogs, Atlas and Milo.

Allison Volinsky, Assistant Principal- Allison_Volinsky@hcpss.org

Allison Volinsky is entering year 17 with HCPSS and is excited to join RHHS in 2023.  She was part of the Administrative team at Atholton High and Howard High School.  Before becoming an Assistant Principal, Ms. Volinsky was an English teacher at Wilde Lake High for 14 years.  She is from Central New York and graduated from University at Buffalo with a Bachelors degree in English and a Masters in Education.  She taught outside of Rochester, NY before moving to Maryland in 2007.  Reading is still her favorite hobby and she enjoys talking about novels with students.  She is a Buffalo Bills fan and travels to see one home game every year.  She loves to read and has many favorite books!  Mrs. Volinsky also loves to travel and spend time with her family.  She has two sons who attend Howard County Public Schools.