Meet Our Administrators ~ Kylie Smith & Presley Boots

Mr. Rich

by Kylie Smith

I remember coming to LCCTC as a sophomore way back in 2013. At the time, the school was in search of a new director, and it was questioned throughout the whole school who this person in charge would be. Today, we all know him as Mr. Rich.

I was awarded the opportunity to interview him and learn a little bit more about the man who redirected the focus of the educational goals for LCCTC.  When he was in high school, Mr. Rich attended Laurel high school and graduated in 1988.  He has three children Nick (19), Emma (17), and Olivia (14) who all attend Shenango High School.

The real question here is:  What has Mr. Rich accomplished before coming to LCCTC? In 1987, he worked his very first job at Kurt Hutton Hardware in downtown New Castle with a starting salary of only $2.85 per hour. After graduating from Laurel High school, he continued on to college at Westminster. With his teaching degree, he taught at Seneca Valley from 1992-2003 as a social studies teacher, while running a small lawn care company and coaching football at Westminster. Two years later, he found himself working as the assistant principal at New Castle Youth Development Center, and then in 2005, he was assistant principal at Sharon Schools until 2013.

His favorite thing about LCCTC is the kids and their relationship with the teachers.  He comments that the students "find a home here because this is a school of choice."

When he's not at LCCTC, he likes to go with his family to the Strip District, in Pittsburgh.  He also likes to attend his children’s athletic events.  Since 2009, he has been power-lifting. He states that he is able to "relieve his stress and to stay in shape." For the last five years, he has competed in local meets in Pittsburgh, Ohio, and New Castle. His taste in music depends on his mood; when he’s lifting he likes to listen to Guns n’ Roses, but he also listens to Frank Sinatra.   His favorite food is homemade spaghetti and meatballs.  When being asked to finish the statement: “Nobody would believe me if I told them that I…”, he stated, “ I really like to cook!”

When I asked him what his favorite quote was, I expected to hear something I’ve never heard before; however, I found a familiar saying when he pointed to a clay plaque made for him by a former student. On it, it says: “Go where you're supposed to go, be there on time, and when you're there use your God-given abilities to do the very best you can.”  Perhaps you’ve heard it before.  

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by Presley Boots
Doctor Kwolek, as you might have heard, is our LCCTC school principal for the year. 

You might be thinking, "Doctor? ... as in medical doctor?" but not in this case. Dr. Kwolek earned her doctoral degree from Youngstown State University.

After working as a teacher and administrator at Mohawk Area School District for 39 years, we were blessed that she answered that phone call from Mr. Rich requesting that she come to LCCTC as your principal. 

She loves her 13 year old toy poodle, Kelly! 

Dr. Kwolek loves learning and has just finished her first course in Kayaking. 

She is currently training to be an EMT; isn't that outstanding? When asked, "Why an EMT?" she said, “I’ve always wanted to be an EMT, just never had the time until retirement."

When asked “How are you going to help us to become better?” Dr. Kwolek replied “My goal here at Lawrence County CTC is to work with the teachers to help them prepare their students for their state standardized tests; I am also completing new teacher evaluations." 

Not only is Dr. Kwolek and amazing women but her son is, too. A teacher at George Washington, he also studies in Health and Physical Education and works as a basketball coach.