“Be nice and listen to people”
That is the secret to life, according to Shamong School District interim superintendent Dolores Szymanski, who is exiting the position at the end of this month.
When you hear about the relationships she’s built and the work she’s accomplished these last two years, it’s tough to argue with her.
Szymanski arrived in Shamong in August 2011 after retiring as superintendent of the Burlington County Institute of Technology. She served as an administrator at BCIT from 1983 to 2011. To receive her pension from BCIT, Szymanski can only work on an interim basis for up to two years.
“She came to us with such an amazing career already and a network that has benefitted us enormously,” school board president Melissa Ciliberti said.
Principal at Indian Mills Memorial School Timothy Carroll agreed with Ciliberti.
“She had such a wealth of experience that I really enjoyed getting to learn a lot from,” Carroll said. “She had a genuine interest in moving the district forward.”
Szymanski was confident in her decision to work in Shamong following her meeting with the board. After working with it for two years, her fondness for the board and her staff only blossomed.
“I was blessed on so many fronts. I was blessed to work with a board that is so dedicated and so passionate about enriching children’s lives. A board that was dedicated to ensuring that the students would be successful and that they would have fun,” Szymanski said.
“I was blessed to have Jackie Johnson as an assistant who was such a valuable asset. I cannot say enough about the relationships and the friendships that have developed.”
Among Szymanski’s accomplishments was the district’s institution of an all-day kindergarten program as well as an autism program for children in pre-kindergarten.
Szymanski is quick to give the credit to the board and her staff.
“Once I knew the quality of the staff and the leadership that was in place, I knew anything was possible,” Szymanski said. “I knew we could accomplish whatever we wanted.”
Professionalism and experience were not the only things that Szymanski brought to the district.
“She changed the culture here, she became a mentor to the administration team,” Ciliberti said.
“She got to know parents, she was very easy to talk to and very approachable. Everyone loved her.”
Indian Mills Elementary principal Nicole Moore echoed Ciliberti’s sentiment.
“When Dolores got here it was honestly a breath of fresh air,” Moore said. “She brought a touch of warmth to the district and I will miss her greatly.”
Both Moore and Carroll spoke to Szymanski’s open door policy and her availability.
“I could always get in touch with her, 24/7,” Carroll said. “If this was a part-time job for her, you’d never know it.”
As far as what is next, don’t expect to find Szymanski lounging somewhere tropical anytime soon.
She will continue to be a trainer for the McREL’s Principal Evaluation System and an adjunct professor in the doctoral program at Wilmington University. And she is more than ready to be an interim superintendent somewhere else.
Szymanski knows that the experiences she had in Shamong will follow her into future endeavors.
“We had a wonderful time,” Szymanski said. “I hope that they learned as much from the experience as I learned from them.”
As previously reported by The Sun, Christine Vespe was announced as the new superintendent on May 21 and will start in Shamong on July 1
