Hey BC! My name is Ella Wlodyka and I have interviewed Mr. Groshek, one of our amazing associate principals. We discussed responsibility, leadership, experience, conflict management, balance, and advice. He also gave a special shout-out to some amazing helpers in our building!
Mr. Groshek worked at Waukesha South before his current position here. He was aware of how wonderful the Elmbrook community was. When he saw the opportunity to work with our wonderful students as a part of the administration, he decided he wanted to bring the skills he’s learned over the years here.
Time has passed therefore experiences have changed. When asked how his high school exposure differs from current students’ experiences, Mr. Groshek’s answer weighed more on technology. He recalled not having a phone until he was in college; smartphones weren’t a thing at this time, and the first social media he interacted with was MySpace. Groshek laughed when mentioning his social media as he mentioned that a lot of current students don’t know what the platform, MySpace, even is! We also discussed how most interactions were noticeably more social, notes were the main mode of transporting a message. Overall, Mr. Groshek grew up without phone caddies and ChatGPT, would you have liked to have this experience growing up?
We all have influential mentors and your community will grow with you. Mr. Groshek mentioned how some of his high school teachers were the reason he went into the field of education. When he was a Junior, his dad deployed for about a year and a half; leaving a big role to be filled. His teachers supported him through his journey and inspired him to do the wonderful work he does. This was Mr. Groshek’s biggest push: He wanted to be able to supply students with the opportunity that his teachers gave him.
The title of “associate principal” comes with a lot of responsibilities. Mr. Groshek has to be available to support the students and staff in and out of the classroom. He has a lot of supervision duties, including meetings and tough conversations to improve the curriculum and how things are going in the classroom. If this sounds easy to you, it’s not; plus, he has to deal with the discipline of students. He plays a fatherly role, especially in helping children learn from their mistakes. He uses these father skills on this little bundle of joy shown in the picture! Mr. Groshek pushes himself to be visible in the environment so that students can discuss their conflicts and issues, and he can help resolve them. Here is a reminder that he is there to help you: Whether your situation is positive or negative, he will provide outstanding support and guidance.
Principal Gruetzmacher stated in a previous media interview that he is “Confident in his ability to provide for the BC community with a deep dedication to success”. Mr. Groshek feels that he provides our school community with success by being available to students whenever possible. He plans to bring the knowledge he has gained in Union Grove and Waukesha to our continuously growing educational environment. He will use his provenly helpful skills to help build and push our school to accomplish the most. Groshek believes that being able to learn along the way is a valuable skill to have, as it is included in the virtue of patience.
Mr. Groshek used to be the JV baseball head coach, as well as the Varsity Football assistant coach in past educational environments. He had the opportunity to bond with his students outside of the classroom and have a deeper impact on their personal lives. As an administrator, Groshek coaches students and staff everyday. Having this sports team management experience has just built up more of his wonderful technique and skill.
Although he considers being apart of our school to be a great accomplishment, outside of school, Mr. Groshek does work with the Air Force. Both of these roles are big leadership positions. Look at how cool this plane is! This is one of the planes that our associate principal has flown!
With all the power and responsibility, comes great challenges. Mr. Groshek comes into work everyday with no expectation of what is to come. Each day is different and he battles the unknown. He has to manage different students conflicts with staff, students conflict with other students. He strives to have each individual view the other perspective of the issue. Even thinking about the time difference, Groshek’s High School experience as well as other staff is very different from students today.
With these piling challenges, Mr. Groshek has his ways to manage the stress. He creates a border between his work and home life so that he can ensure balance. Although, when he needs some alone time, or maybe even some fun time with his buddies, he slips in a round or two of golf. I mean, just look at this beautiful family!
I asked Mr. Groshek if he had any advice for students and he responded towards the platform of bravery and courage. He says, “I think one of the biggest things you guys can do is be okay with failing, taking risks, and getting outside your comfort zone; The earlier you do that, the more comfortable you get being outside your comfort zone, then you can take on pretty much anything after that!”
Finally, Mr. Groshek gave a special shout-out to the study hall supervisors. Mr. Fuchs, Mr. Nemoir, Ms. Mueller, and Ms. Corwin are the four spectacular advisors at BC! He mentioned that they do a great job helping students and we will continue to find ways for students to focus and get more done in this study block.
As you can tell, Mr. Groshek is a much more complex part to supporting our school. Not only does he have to balance his work with his life, his job is so underappreciated. In this interview overview, you have read about his many responsibilities and how he manages all of that. He gave some wonderful examples and advice that students will really benefit from. Thank you so much for reading! And, of course; thank you Mr. Groshek for all that you do!
