Tony Rusnak
Tell us a little bit about yourself: I am presently the high school principal for Commonwealth Charter Academy, a Pennsylvania public cyber charter school. I am passionate about providing educational opportunities for “all” learners and provide the flexibility to meet those needs in today’s learning environments.
I grew up in Greenfield Township in northern Lackawanna County where I attended Greenfield Elementary School and Lakeland Jr. & Sr. High School. I graduated from Colgate University, in New York, where I earned a bachelor of arts (B.A.) and a masters of arts in teaching. After teaching and coaching in New York I returned to my alma mater, Lakeland, where I taught and coached for several years before taking on my first administration position as an assistant principal at West Scranton High School.
Did you have any key mentors or people who deeply influenced who you are? My wife has kept me grounded in the fact that family is first and a foundation on which to build a meaningful life. I am reminded that life is not a destiny but a journey. Many mentors have taught me the importance and the skills of motivation, teamwork, and patience. You can get the most out of people by treating them well – I learned that from coaches/educators like Jerry Wasilchak, Fred Dunlap, Dan Case, Dave Doud, Ray Caucci and others. Ray was also one of my administrators when I was a student and a teacher. I emulated him when I first started in administration. He was firm and fair and remembered that students/teachers can make mistakes and it is our job to help them learn and grow from it and not just by delivering discipline but by offering understanding and guidance with the wisdom to know when to use them.
How has Leadership Lackawanna impacted you? I am an alumni of the Leadership Lackawanna Executive Program, Class of 2019. I was intrigued that we met at different venues (no one on their home turf) each week. My experiences with the program reinforced the ideal, learned through time, that ‘good people’ are ‘good people’ no matter what position they hold. How we communicate and listen are the skill sets that are fine-tuned at these gatherings. There was a continued awareness and appreciation of how everyone gets the best from their people in order to give the best to others that who need their services.
