Ila Bumagin, Senior, Editor-in-Chief
Meet Mr. Frank Kowalski, Marblehead High School’s Interim Assistant Principal. Taking the place of Mr. Richards, he has a strong focus on community and supporting the school through upperclassmen until the end of the school year.
Mr. Kowalski received his undergraduate degree from Salem State, as well as his Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS). He received his Master’s from Cambridge College. Previous to Marblehead, he spent ten years working as the Swampscott High School Assistant Principal. He worked the same position in Pentucket for five years, while living in North Andover. However, he says, “I really love the North Shore. Now that my children are older, I was lucky to have an opportunity to come back.”
When asked about his goals for the rest of the year, he says he wants to meet as many teachers and students as possible. This will allow him to better understand the school and help support the staff in any way he can. He says, “I have a lot of experience, and I hope to bring that to Marblehead. I want to talk to as many parents as I can. There’s a lot going on for students today, and I know it’s not easy to be a teen. I want to support you in any way.”
Assistant principals have a challenging job, and many students only see the disciplinary side. Kowalski says it’s “Definitely a challenging job because you don’t get to see the good parts of school – the job is to enforce the rules. However, students like to know that they’re safe, and that’s how the place is run.” His current goal in supporting students is by helping the seniors have a memorable spring and the juniors to get the attention they need in their busy year. He spends a lot of time assisting Ms. Donaldson and Dr. Carlson in planning events for the upperclassmen.
There is a lot Mr. Kowalski is looking forward to at Marblehead High, especially since he loves the North Shore. He says, “I’m looking forward to learning the culture – I know it’s different than Swampscott, and I would never compare the two.” In addition, he says he is excited “To be part of the end of the year celebrations, and to see how graduation looks. I love how everyone gets excited about change and the future – I’m excited to be part of it all.” This time is definitely exciting for seniors, and it’s nice to have someone to support our goals.
Mr. Kowalski says, “One thing that I really take pride in is that I’m a coach, and I look forward to getting on the field in the spring and supporting the other coaches and athletes.” He has been a softball coach and athletic director, and he hopes to support athletes at the high school.
Finally, I asked for any fun facts. At Swampscott High, there was a “Dancing With the Staff” competition, and he won! He says, “You’d probably never guess that, I’m not a dancer.”