By Megan Bodenschatz — The office aid walks into the room and hands your teacher a yellow pass. Everyone turns and stares at you as she places it on the desk in front of you. You look down and it says to report to Mr. Filicky’s office immediately.
Dean of Students Mark Filicky, is a man many students have come to know this year as he has now solved the ever prevalent problem of skippers. Filicky calls suspected skippers into his office in order to question them and find the root of the problem and then create an appropriate punishment. Many believe Filicky sits around and waits for someone to skip before he pounces, when in all actuality, he is very busy.
Besides being Dean of Students, Filicky is also the district’s Safety Security Director and Student Services Director. These titles give the jobs of taking care of bus accidents and student injuries, enrolling students into the district, hearing all expulsion cases in the district and organizing all the district’s drills to keep them in compliance with the state standards all to Filicky.
“I’d like to think that I had an impact on the students,” Filicky said. “I held the kids accountable to what was expected; being in class and doing their work.”
While Filicky enjoyed his position this year, he is excited to have the opportunity to be a principal again.
“The thing I missed most was the connection with the students,” Filicky said. “I’m happy to have the opportunity to have a positive impact on young people again.”
In previous years, Filicky’s position was held by retiree Jim Aquilla. It was not until this year that the Dean of Students position was created and handed to Filicky. As for next year, some of Filicky’s jobs will carry on with him as he becomes the Business and Marketing Academy, and others will be spread among other staff and administrators.
“The most important thing is for all of us, staff and students, is to feel safe and secure. We all need to know we are being taken care of,” Filicky said.
[Updated Aug. 7, 2017: This article has been reformatted for consistency.]
