More than the bus guy

Salacki embraces first time role of assistant principal

Trey+Salacki+interacts+with+students+at+the+bus+loop.+Salack+interned+at+Heritage+High+School+before+joining+the+Cougars+this+year.

Camille Knecht

Trey Salacki interacts with students at the bus loop. Salack interned at Heritage High School before joining the Cougars this year.

Camille Knecht, Staff Reporter

“I don’t want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me.”

Some people have sayings that stick to them like glue, and this is the one that stayed cemented to new Freshmen Administrator Trey Salacki.

“It always motivates me to do good in my sphere of influence,” Salacki said.

His ambition stems back to his high school days at Rocky Mount High School.

Aside from being a good student, Salacki was athletic and ran track and cross country all four years.

School spirit was something that sports brought out in him, so much so that he was voted having the most.

Salacki went on to run a marathon in Charlotte, North Carolina as a sophomore in college.

“It was more of a personal challenge for me,” Salacki said.

It was also in high school that Salacki developed an interest for teaching.

“I had a series of great teachers who peaked my interest in humanities,” Salacki said. “It led me to become more altruistic and want to help and serve.”

Performing years of teaching service helped him to repay the rest of his college loans after earning the N.C. Teaching Fellows scholarship.

Salacki earned his undergraduate degree at East Carolina University and his graduates degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

He majored in history, and after taking AP and dual enrollment classes in high school, Salacki was able to graduate college early in December, allowing him to “get a jump on the teaching market and a foot through the door.”

Green Hope High School was where Salacki started his teaching career. He taught U.S. History to juniors and Civics to sophomores for one semester.

He then spent five years, the majority of his teaching time, at South Central High School where he taught Civics and AP Psychology.

“I loved the content of AP Psychology because all humans can relate to it,” Salacki said. “It was an elective course, so I knew the students were really interested in the subject, too.”

While at South Central, he took many leadership positions including tech training for the staff and being involved in a suspension reduction program, which led to him thinking bigger and outside of his teaching position.

Salacki then did a one year internship at Heritage High School for assistant principal training which made the switch easier.

“I was able to go in, hit the ground running, and go,” Salacki said.

One of the reasons that Salacki chose to join the Cougar pride was because it reminded him of his own high school.

“It has a lot of school spirit, and its values align with my own for being happy at my job,” Salacki said.

Salacki felt that being an administrator would benefit himself because he likes to be challenged. He felt it would also benefit the school because he has youth, and “bringing in someone new leads to knowledge and growth.”

He also finds himself discussing teaching with other administrators from a new point of view.

According to Salacki, being an administrator has been good, but he also misses certain things about teaching.

“I miss getting to know the students,” Salacki said. “As an administrator, time is limited, so there isn’t much time to form relationships.”

Both positions, however, “have the same goal of ultimately wanting success for the students.”

Breaking out of the teaching routine was enjoyable for Salacki at the same time because “the days of an administrator are constantly different.”

He also appreciates the differences between each of the schools where he has taught.

One of the things that tends to bother Salacki most is when high school students give up on themselves.

“I want students to know that at the end of the day I will be there to support them to grow and become successful,” Salacki said.

Salacki’s next step is to become a principal.

To anyone that wants to become an administrator or is contemplating the transition from teacher to administrator, Salacki offers some words of wisdom.

“Be purposeful in your reflection about why you want to do it,” Salacki said. “Think about core values and how they align with being an administrator.”