Profile: Melissa Sawicki

If you’ve been in the area for a bit or have any connection to Ellicottville Central School, then you have probably had some contact with the longtime Secretary to the Superintendent. Some know her as Melissa, others know her as Mrs. Sawicki, but I know her as Aunt Missy. She’s been working at the school for almost as long as I’ve been alive - I’ve visited many times, seen her in action, heard countless stories - but that's all coming to an end. On December 26, 2024, she will officially be able to call herself retired.

Let’s start back at the beginning. Before Melissa worked at Ellicottville Central, she worked in downtown Buffalo at Marine Midland Bank as an Executive Secretary. Then in 1992, her husband was transferred to Olean with his job. Having grown up in the Buffalo area and being familiar with the Ellicottville/Great Valley area, they decided to purchase a house in Great Valley.

Fast forward to August of 1994, Melissa was hired by the Elementary Principal at the time, Margaret DiTanna, as the Elementary Secretary. “It was a learning experience for sure. The teachers took me under their wings and helped me along the way, and it was the beginning of great friendships,” Melissa shared.

She loved being the Elementary Secretary. She enjoyed going to school every day and interacting with the little ones. “Holidays were especially fun times, as they were always excited and always had to share stories with me about what they were going to do, what costume they were going to wear or what family they were going to see.” Melissa also took a moment to praise the parents of these kids. “They were amazing and many of them volunteered at the school. We would interact when they dropped off or picked up their children or came to school for various events.” Even now, years later, she’s still good friends with a lot of those parents.

Jump ahead a few years to April 1997 and the position of Secretary to the Superintendent opened up. Ed Ahrens, Superintendent at the time, called Melissa into his office and asked if she was interested in trying it out. “I accepted, and as they say, ‘The Rest is History.’ I’m so grateful to Ed for giving me that opportunity. At the time of my retirement, I will have worked for five superintendents. It’s hard to believe.”

Despite Melissa being my aunt, I was never actually sure what her job entailed. I knew her title, but never what she did exactly. And for some reason I never thought to ask. So not only is she the Superintendent’s Secretary, but she’s also the District Clerk and her job has been ever-changing since she first started. She serves as a personal assistant to the Superintendent, performs administrative work for the Board of Education, she’s the Record Access Officer, and Records Management Officer. “It’s definitely a juggling act,” she said. As the years have gone by, a lot about the job has changed for her - especially the workload and number of hours required for the job. As the workload for the Superintendent increases, so does the job of the Superintendent’s Secretary, which means you really need to be able to prioritize.

Melissa has definitely accomplished a lot while playing her role at the school, so there must be something she’s really proud of. She modestly admitted that there’s not one singular thing she’s done alone, but rather said how proud of the school she is… for many reasons. The entire staff works really hard collectively to make ECS a great place for the students. Whether it’s working on a capital project, coordinating the use of the building, lending a helping hand or just listening… it’s all a team effort. She goes on to say, “My hope is that I can walk away and people will remember that I always wanted to help in any way that I could. Whether it was a student, staff member, board member or community member.”

If you didn’t know, Melissa has a son, Robert (which is hard to believe because that boy knows everybody). You may recognize him from his school days at Ellicottville Central, but most recently from working at The Boardroom Snowboard Shop - he was a solid staple there for 10 years from December 2012-April 2023. You can still find him there on any given Saturday just “hanging out” (technically he’s no longer employed, but he still considers himself an employee). If there’s one memory that holds a special place in Melissa’s heart, it’s having her son attend ECS alongside her. “It was amazing to see him start in Pre-K, watch him over the years, and then walk across the stage in ‘The Ward’ for graduation in 2016.”

I’m sure Robert would agree that there were some perks to having his mom working where you go to school. “I loved having her there in case there was something going on or even just to stop in and take a pause during the day. She loved when I would stop in and annoy her every 20 minutes. She also knew when I would be getting called to the office before anyone. That was fun. It was never anything serious, but my heart always dropped, making me think I did something bad.” And although Robert may be Melissa’s actual kid, he recalled, “she always referred to the kids as ‘her kids’.”

Pinpointing her favorite memory was very easy for her, but so was pinpointing what she’s going to miss the most - and her answer was, “I will miss the students. I’ll miss the Pre-K and kindergarten students parading past my office for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Halloween. I’ll miss the sports send-offs, the high fives in the hallways, the ‘good mornings’ and ‘have a good afternoon,’ and of course I’ll miss the last day of school send-off in the bus loop every June. ECS, be proud of our students. They are the BEST!” Cue the tears.

Come the end of December, Melissa will have worked for Ellicottville Central for 30 years and 4 months. I think everyone can agree that working somewhere for that long is quite an accomplishment and no easy feat. I know that when she started, she never imagined she wold be at the school for 30 years. “First, with my husband’s job, I thought for sure we would move again. I didn’t know if we would move back to the Buffalo area or move somewhere else in the state. Once we had our son, we decided to stay in Great Valley.

The people she has worked with have played a huge role in her staying. She has enjoyed coming to work every day, and working with amazing people made it easy. She considers herself lucky to have supportive Superintendents and Board Members, having made so many friends, some of her best friends, while working at the school. “Another really cool thing is (now I’m showing my age) when I see parents drop their kids off at school or see them at events, and I remember when they were in school. I love the fact that they feel they can reach out to me for help or give me a call. So many times over the the years, I’ve received phone calls and they start out ‘Hi Mrs. Sawicki, I don’t know if you remember me, but I was wondering if you would be able to help me with something.’ I’ve seen two generations of families come though the school. It’s been wonderful.”

I can say firsthand, if there’s anyone who deserves some rest, it’s my aunt. She’s worked so hard all these years - honestly running around like a chicken with its head cut off - it’s time. So what does retirement look like for Melissa? She agrees that she definitely needs that rest and relaxation. “I’m not good at relaxing (don’t I know it)… so it will be something I need to work at.” She’s got a travel bucket list and would like to check a few things off of it, and ultimately spend more time with her family and friends.

Starting December 27, Kristen Pearl will be taking over the position. Melissa will be around a few days after to help with the transition on the Superintendent’s office. As far as advice goes, she had some wise words to share with Kristen, “Always be flexible. Keep smiling and keep a sense of humor. Your co-workers, board members, and community will be your greatest asset. You’re going to do a great job!!”

Melissa had some final things to say about her time at ECS. “I would like to say I am so grateful. I have had the honor or working with the most amazing people, have had the privilege of meeting the most amazing community members, and have been able to watch the most amazing kids come through the halls of the school. ECS is truly a family, and everyone is there for each other through good and bad. Over the years, we’ve shared in each other’s joys and sadness. But one thing that has always been constant is the support that is given to one another. Thank you Ellicottville Central School and community for 30+ wonderful years! Once an Eagle, always an Eagle!!!”

Now, you’d think being her niece, she would have given me this interview in person. It took a couple asks to get her to agree to this at all. I asked her one more time at Thanksgiving in front of the rest of our family (I wasn’t trying to corner her, everyone else thought it was a great idea and I wanted backup), and she agreed on one condition - I could not ask any questions in person. She didn’t want to get emotional (sorry, Miss), but honestly I could see why - I got emotional just writing this. There’s a lot of history behind her, and if that’s not proof she loved her job, I don’t know what is.

Profile: Melissa Sawicki

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