The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
District leader reflects on education
Superintendent Joseph Spiccia reflects on a life in education
For Wickliffe Schools Superintendent Joseph Spiccia when it comes to the graduating classes of his district it’s all about the four E’s — Employed, Enrolled, Enlisted, or an Entrepreneur.
His four E philosophy folds into his larger motivation for the rest of the district, one he describes as a future ready model. After partnering with Wickliffe’s director of strategic innovation Julie Ramos, the pair made ambitious changes to the format and offerings available to the Wickliffe schoolchildren.
It was Spiccia’s futureready motivations that saw Wickliffe enter into the Early College Early Career internship program. He touted the program and its gateway toward higher education.
“Every single one of the students who have entered the program has taken college courses, about 12 semester hours a year, and not a single student has ever failed at a class,” he said in a previous interview. “The students know it’s an opportunity of a lifetime and they take it very seriously.”
“This is the only program like this in the state of Ohio,” he added at the time. “There’s nothing else like this.”
Most recently, Spiccia has successfully led the levy campaign in 2019 in which voters approved a $60 million bond issue and an attached 0.5-mill levy by a close 53.8 percent. This successful passage will allow for the construction of a pre-K through 12th grade facility which will serve as the single school building for the district.
This new building would replace existing, aging structures like the middle and elementary buildings, which are 99 and 97 years old, respectively.
But before his work in Wickliffe, Spiccia was a Brush High School graduate who then attended Bowling Green College. For him, education was baked in.
“I thought I was a teacher for as far back as I could remember. It was a natural fit,” he said in a recent interview.
This calling was first realized when he taught health and physical education for northwest Ohio’s Wauseon School District from 1978 through 1985. From here, he went on to Cleveland State University to serve as an assistant wrestling coach before transitioning to a different teaching position in Hudson, Ohio.
Spiccia would teach for 13 years in total before transitioning to an administrative role.
“I was literally walking through the (Hudson Schools) office and one of the assistant principals pulled me aside and told me one of the other assistant principals was taking another job, and she thought I’d be a good replacement,” he recalled. “I never thought about it before. She put the idea in my head.”
Spiccia would remain as an assistant principal within Hudson Schools for three years before going onto serve as Mentor High School principal for an additional eight years.
“My good fortune is that I’ve liked every job that I’ve had,” he said. “I really liked being a teacher. I love being a coach. I really enjoyed it, and some people don’t, the assistant principal role, mainly because I was able to work individually with students who really needed individual attention.”
Despite the different roles Spiccia has served over the years, he feels his guiding principle has remained constant.
“I think it is our responsibility to help people,” he reflects. “It’s every person’s responsibility to help other people. No matter what the role, I’m here to ensure folks get the help they need.”
Spiccia knows what Wickliffe’s priorities should be.
“Our priorities are to ensure our students are future ready,” he said. “We need to make sure the curriculum and the programs are broad enough to meet the needs of this diverse group of students. Another priority is to create a culture and environment that takes great advantage of the wonderful tradition of the community yet moves the community forward progressively.”
Spiccia’s involvement with Wickliffe extends beyond the school building and reaches to form bonds within the community. This is fostered by multiple public meetings which have sought community input on the size and scope of the new pre-K through 12th grade facility.
“We want everyone to have a voice,” he said.
The superintendent also spearheaded the Family Resource Center, located at 2255 Rockefeller Drive. It serves a multi-use community health and welfare facility, maintained by a part-time staff supplied by the Lake County General Health District.
“We want to further engage the community in an understanding of the challenges that confront us as a school,” he said during the Family Resource Center’s 2019 ribbon cutting ceremony. “There are people who don’t understand that the kids coming to school may have challenges that they haven’t thought about.
“It’s not as simple as walking in the door, sitting down and doing chemistry equations or learning to read,” he said. “Sometimes trauma or emotional distress gets in the way of learning. We want the community to understand this too.”