On June 8, 2022 Christine Sawicki officially started her new role as Superintendent for Lowellville Schools. Although she was given the job almost seven months ago, many students, staff members, and community members still don’t know much about her. After a thirty-minute interview with Superintendent Sawicki, I was given the impression that she is excited to be working with everyone again and that she wants to get to know everyone as well. When asked about the students, staff members, and community members that may not know her she had one thing to say. She stated, “I want them to know that I put my heart and soul into everything I do. I am going to give 200% for everybody here, I’m a workaholic, but everything I do is because I want the best.” She considers everyone at Lowellville like a family to her and the students as if they were her own. She concluded, “I make decisions (For the students) that I would want for my own daughter Natalie.”
When discussing goals and changes towards the school she made it very clear that she wants to hear opinions from the students. She wants the students to be able to talk to her about anything involving the school. She wants to make every decision in the best interest of the students she expressed. She voiced, “I just want this to be, seriously, the best district in Mahoning County. I want everyone to feel safe, welcome, and get the best quality education they can get here.” It is very evident that Superintendent Sawicki loves and cares about the students at Lowellville. She explained that one of the reasons she applied for the Superintendent job was because of the kindness and positivity of the students and the community. She loved the relationships she built with the students and staff members last time she was at Lowellville when she was principal.
The tragedy that occured last year at Lowellville is one no one expected. It was a devastating and a scary situation for everyone involved in Lowellville school and community. When asked about whether stepping down after the incident was ever a thought, Superintendent Sawicki made it very clear that it was never an option or thought. She communicated that although she was very heartbroken and devastated, it bothered her that she wasn’t there to assist the staff and students. She said if anything the incident pushed her to want to start working immediately. She stated, “I felt like I had a calling, a purpose, on why I needed to be here and get back to the roots with my staff and students and community.”
While Superintendent Sawicki loves her new role at Lowellville, she revealed some very interesting information about herself. According to Superintendent Sawicki she did not intend on a career in education,“Originally when I went to YSU for my undergrad I started in Physical Therapy.” She explained, even though she loved working in Physical Therapy she felt it wasn’t truly what she wanted to do. It wasn’t until her third year into college when she decided she wanted to be a teacher. She claimed, “I wanted to be around students, I wanted to be a teacher, I wanted to help young scholars and so I switched my major into education and then became a teacher, then principal and through the years realized being a superintendent I could help in different ways.”
After a long, hard, working day of any sort, her favorite meal to go home to is eggplant parmesan. She made it very clear that she only likes it baked and not deep fried. She loves all types of music and her favorite artist is Ed Sheeran. She loves organizing, speaking different languages (French/German), and playing instruments (Flute/Baraton/Piccolo). During her free time she enjoys watching her daughter play sports. She also enjoys attending all of Lowellville sports and extracurricular activities.
Superintendent Sawicki is more than capable of being a great Superintendent. She wants staff members, students, and community members that may not know her to know they can come to her about anything. She explained, “I am hoping we have a great year, and I’m approachable so please, if I haven’t met you yet, if you're a student please come over tell me your name….I hope everyone has a great year and I’m open to recommendations and I’m looking forward to a great year. I wish all of our athletes success, all of our band members, and all of our students a successful and healthy year.”