Shaun Tomaszewski says that when he started as Baldwin High School principal six years ago, he really didn’t know what he was getting into. Given the large student body, never having worked as an assistant principal earlier, and then the onset of the pandemic, it was hard to adapt at first, he said.
“It was disorienting enough coming into this massive high school as a 31-year-old principal,” Tomaszewski said. “Then throw Covid on top – it was minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day – trying to hang on for dear life.”
But through his six years here, Tomaszewski said being Baldwin’s principal has become the most enjoyable job he has ever had, and one that he learned a lot from.
“Just to see kids’ arc of development over several years – to see who they become and what they accomplish – is really great,” he said.
He also learned how much work goes into being a principal.
“I had no idea the emotional and cognitive labor that principals had to go through to make things happen,” Tomaszewski said.
Now, though, Tomaszewski is stepping down as Baldwin’s principal. He was hired Monday night by East Allegheny School District to be their executive director of curriculum, assessment, and innovation, and his last day at Baldwin was today.
Supt. Dr. Randal Lutz said that Jill Fleming-Salopek, the district’s director of curriculum implementation and learning pathways, will become interim principal starting Thursday.
East Allegheny School District is about one-third the size of Baldwin-Whitehall. It serves East McKeesport, Wall, Wilmerding, and North Versailles Township.
“I think that there is an incredible opportunity and capacity to do what’s best for kids,” Tomaszewski said of his new position. “I think that they are really hungry for the type of trusting, supportive relationships that as an administrator, I have established with teachers throughout my career.”
This will not be Tomaszewski’s first time working as a curriculum director. He served in a similar role in the Northgate School District before coming to Baldwin.
“It is so constantly creative and fun,” Tomaszewski said of this position.
But this type of administration job does not provide the same opportunity to work closely with students, which he has had at Baldwin. That is something he will miss, he said. Another is the Baldwin faculty.
“The teachers here are amazing,” he said. “There have been a lot of emotional conversations I’ve had throughout the day.”
He notes that while teachers commonly stay in the same school throughout their careers, administrators are more likely to move among different districts. He has stayed friends with colleagues he has worked with from other districts, and he is sure the same will be true for Baldwin High School.
“It is always interesting to me how when I leave a school district, these colleagues become my friends. I am absolutely certain that I am going to remain friends with some of the faculty and staff members here,” Tomaszewski said.
Senior Class President Addison Giglione, meanwhile, said Tomaszewski has brought positive changes to Baldwin High School.
“He has definitely made the school more inclusive and put together,” Giglione said.
He also has always been open to new ideas proposed by senior class officers, she said.
“When we would ask him to do our ideas, he would – like when he stayed up on the roof to raise money for the senior class,” Giglione said.
Additionally, Tomaszewski has always had the students’ best interests in mind, she said.
“He would always help us out. You can tell he wants to see us succeed,” Giglione said.
Assistant Principal Denise Wells has appreciated Tomaszewski bringing new ideas and viewpoints to the high school.
“He is so young, and one thing he brought for me is seeing things differently. I’m kind of old school, and he did let me see things in a different, open-minded way,” Wells said.
Tomaszewski also wasn’t afraid to make the hard decisions, Wells said.
“I appreciate that he is not afraid to do things, because that brought a lot of life to us here,” Wells said. “He stuck with (the hard decisions) and he did it in a very calm, poised way. He never got emotional.”
Tomaszewski said he is sure that Baldwin will continue to flourish, despite how students and teachers don’t always believe in themselves.
“Baldwin refuses to recognize how great it can be. I have been trying to convince kids, teachers, and everybody how great Baldwin can be. They’re like, ‘No, we’re not that great.’ And I’m like, ‘Yes you are. You absolutely are.’ ”
