1 PAGE8 THE POST COMMUNITY Sunday, January 14, 2007 MCGOVERN Continued from Page 1 DK: What about the district’s needs? JM: “When I started here, I thought the biggest need was the climate. Sometimes when people in a community care so much, they don’t accept other views. That can become divi- sive. I think the district needs a voice to come in and put the voices together. There needs to be a healthy compromise and get that feeling of optimism back. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s OK to express yourself. But I think the district needs a shot of opti- mism. We have great kids, great families and great teachers. All of the ingredients are there.” DK: Do Crestwood, Dallas and Lake-Lehman have any simi- larities? JM: “Well for one, they’re all in suburban areas. And all three of the areas have a strong sense of community with great kids. They also have strong educa- tional backgrounds. I believe the key to any successful adminis- tration is keeping consistency within the walls. At Crestwood, we had teachers who were there for 35 years. All schools go through changes, but the core needs to remain the same.” DK: Did you ever imagine youd be a school superintend- ent before age 40? JM: “Colgate is not renowned as a teacher’s college. It’s known as a breeding ground for upper management personnel. Big cor- porations would come in and bid for certain seniors. I didn’t want to travel. I wanted to come home and my parents, knowing my makeup, encouraged me to come back. I didn’t expect the Lake-Lehman position to come open. But there were only a few school districts I would consider and Lake-Lehman was one of them.” DK: Do you miss being around the students on a daily basis? JM: “Actually, I am around the kids a lot. One of the things about being a superintendent is you define what your role is. I try to get out to the schools as much as possible. Because of my back- ground, I'm drawn to the high school students. And let me tell you, if you want to hear how a district is doing, just ask the stu- dents. They’ll tell you. Be you'd better be prepared for the an- swer. They'll be honest.” DK: Lake-Lehman has a NEED FOOT CARE? Dr. George Stolarick General Podiatry ® Most Insurances Accepted e House Calls Available e Convenient Location Dallas - Harveys Lake Highway Call (570) 675-8382 PATRICK O’DONNELL 24 18, NIC RIEINE ETC TOR ato Ta ll dd | 4 SAN 01 24 1 5 GL BLA 0 BF: War Vd 01+ Hours: Tues, Wed, Thurs 11-5; Fri 11-4; Sat 10-2 Optical Judy Humenanski, O.D. Patrick O'Donnell, Optician strong athletic tradition. What role did athletics play in your life? JM: “If it wasn’t for athletics, I don’t think I'd be as strong (pro- fessionally) as I am. It exposed me to great people. But it’s not just athletics. It’s all school ac- tivities in general. You can be successful individually, but also as a team. You learn about estab- lishing individual goals, but working as a team. You learn about hard work and discipline. Those things really prepare you for adulthood.” DK: Do you enjoy going to work every day? JM: I love it. And I think my wife enjoys me going to work (laughs). I like the people I work with. One of the things I enjoy about Lake-Lehman is the peo- ple are fun to be with. (A good attitude) becomes infectious. If people see the superintendent having a good time and smiling, they’ll do the same. “In my job, I can go to lunch and watch kids playing at recess. I can also hear them sing from my office. How great is that? Not many people have that kind of opportunity. DK: If you could wave a magic wand, what would you wish for the district? JM: “I think Lake-Lehman has to find its roots again. Some- Compassionate Care Yo \V1ale=e NE Tple=]1 Treatment OVI r-Te [FE dlelaRelalaelleTe IVA IL {a0 = al Mela] o] [gISHEE:! supportive, caring staff with the latest technology in a warm, soothing, restful environment to achieve the best possible patient outcomes. Professional 2: Te i F:10T0)0} ncolo SY Partners A Collaboration Between Community Medical Center and Moses Taylor Hospital, in Cooperation with PrimeMed, P.C. Comprehensive Cancer Treatment Center E181 loT(e 1a W|YI<Te [lars] N@oTaa ol [2% 5 Morgan Highway, Scranton, PA 18508 Phone 570-558-7400 times you have to go back to K) forward. We were just talking about athletics and academics. Well, I want to bring that philos- ophy of a hard-nosed work ethic to the field and to the classroom. Our goal is to be the best district we can be. But if you don’t have the right attitude, desire or in- tensity, it can’t happen. Those things are extremely valuable to the human element of educa- tion.” ladiation, Oper Sem Merit Scholarships UPPER SCHOOL & MIDDLE *students must complete a visit by 2/19. Lower School, Forty Fort Middle/School Scholarship Exam Open to current 4th- to 7th- grade students not already enrolled at Sem.* Up to FIVE Lower School half-tuition merit awards! pper Call 270-2 SCHOOL EXAMS Upper School, Kingston Trustee Academic Scholarship Exam Open to current 8th- and 9th-grade students not already enrolled at Sem. One Full Tuition Trustee Academic Scholarship for career at Sem. Six Two-Thirds Tuition President's Regional Scholarships for career at Sem. The regions include: Berwick/Danville Greater Wyoming Valley Hazleton/Southern Luzerne County Lackawanna County Monroe County/Greater Pocono Area Tunkhannock/Wyoming Co./Northern Luzerne Co. \N § WYOMING SEMINARY founded 1844 WWW. Wwyomingseminary.org
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