Hello, my name is Michael (Mike) Smajda.  As superintendent of the Western School District it is my goal to provide the leadership necessary to continue providing a high quality education for the children of our school district, while maintaining a sense of community.  I believe two quotes have helped me determine who I am as a father, friend, teacher and administrator. 

"No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship." by Dr. James Comer

"People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care."   by Theodore Roosevelt

I believe strongly in both of these statements.  Therefore, it is my desire to promote a strong sense of community founded on respect, caring, acceptance, and high expectations within our school district.  Western has a long tradition of being the center of our community.  Together, I know we can expand that tradition and become a stronger community working towards improving the educational and extra curricular opportunities for our children.  While we are and will be facing difficult financial times in the next few years, we still have a mission to accomplish and cannot afford to let our children down.

It has been a pleasure to be the superintendent of Western since July 2009.  In my "previous life", I was honored to have worked for Escanaba Area Public Schools for 19 years.  While in Escanaba, I held the positions of middle school math teacher, high school math teacher, adult community education teacher, district summer school coordinator, elementary principal, and assistant superintendent.  In addition to my duties as a public school employee, I had the wonderful experience of officiating high school football and wrestling for over 20 years.  While I no longer am able to officiate, I still enjoy watching student athletes compete at Western. 

On a more personal note, I have been married to my wife, Chris, for 27 years.  We have a son (Andrew), daughter-in-law (Kelsey), daughter (Emily) and two grand-daughters (Ella & Lily).  Our remaining family member is of the canine variety.  His name is Colby.  It would be safe to say that our children have been a true blessing in our lives.  With the addition of our granddaughters, we have found new happiness being grandparents.  As a Western parent once told me, "Being a grandparent is all dessert and no vegtables." 

Thank you for visiting our district website. 

GO PANTHERS!!!