"I believe that all schools should provide a positive, safe, success-oriented environment in which children can learn and grow," says Kay Samolovitch, principal of Mike O. Callaghan Middle School in Las Vegas. Conceding that schools reflect societies, Ms. Samolovitch believes that today's educator must fill the roles of "counselor, nutritionist, advocate for the disadvantaged, disciplinarian, and in many instances, caring parent." Ms. Samolovitch began her working life in the health profession, and she entered the school system as a school nurse. Her background in healthcare may have predisposed her to be concerned with the overall well-being of her students. "Educators must focus on the whole child," she says. In recent years, Ms. Samolovitch has shown exceptional leadership and vision in leading "teachers and staff in changing a disadvantaged school with little pride and self-esteem to one that, within four years, achieved state recognition as an outstanding junior high school." Mike O' Callaghan Middle School has been recognized by the Clark County School District as a Unique School Plan for three years in a row.
1968 Duquesne University, B.A.
