Rotary learns about new plans for Madonna
By CRAIG HOWELL, City editorArticle Photos
John Mihalyo, the new principal of the high school, served as the club’s guest speaker and discussed some of what has been going on since he came on board, as well as some of his visions for the school in the future.
Mihalyo, who is a native of Weirton, explained that although he and his wife have been living in an area of Virginia that has seen a lot of development and growth in recent years, when the opportunity arose to return to Weirton, he couldn’t pass it up.
“We were really excited about that,” he said. “We jumped on that.”
He said he had missed the small-town atmosphere, where people are friendly whether they know you or not. He explained that in Loudoun County, where he lived in Virginia, there are approximately 60,000 students and a need to build new schools every year to meet the increasing demand.
However, he explained, the larger school population also allows students to have some opportunities that students here don’t have, and he would like to change that at Madonna.
Mihalyo stated there are several projects in the works to make improvements at Madonna, both to the structure of the school and the environment.
One of the big projects is ongoing renovation work on the building that began with repairs to the roof and eventually grew to include repair work to the brick on the interior and exterior of the building.
“They’re basically going to rebuild the outside of the structure,” Mihalyo said.
Mihalyo said the school is 53 years old, and the work is expected to help keep things going for years to come while also making the building more energy efficient.
Mihalyo also is trying to make some changes internally and with how the school communicates with the community. On Tuesday, Rotary members received a copy of the school’s newsletter, which will be sent out to parents every month. The information also will be included on the school’s Web site, which will relaunch with a new design in coming weeks.
“We want to get the word out about things that are happening,” Mihalyo said.
In addition, residents and businesses have the opportunity to purchase advertising in the newsletter and on the Web site. The funds from the ads will go toward the Madonna General Scholarship Fund, which provides financial assistance to students who need it.
Mihalyo said he wants to make sure all students and visitors feel welcome when entering Madonna, and he also wants to increase school spirit among the student body. One of the things done to help in that area is the distribution of a specially designed T-shirt, which was given to all students during registration. Mihalyo said it is his hope that students will wear the shirt to various school and sporting events. He explained that a similar practice is done at Notre Dame University.
Mihalyo added that he wants to make some changes in the focus of the education offered at Madonna. He said while a lot of work has been done with math and science in recent years, there also should be progress made in the areas of history, reading and technology. Mihalyo cited the lack of a music department at Madonna and said would like to change that.
Ultimately, Mihalyo’s goal is to make certain Madonna is looked at as one of the best schools in the country.
“There’s no reason we can’t be,” Mihalyo said.
(Howell can be contacted at chowell<\@>weirtondailytimes.com)
