Monday, November 7, 2022
To the family of Bill Sawka: I am so sad to hear of Bill’s passing. I share my condolences to Sheila, Mike and Leanne and the entire family. I first met Bill in a floorhockey game at Prendergast school where many St. Boniface fellows met in a “friendly” game. Then when Howden School was converted to an Immersion School, Bill was transferred to Frontenac where I was the VP. That was the start of 16 amazing years. Bill was not a “boss” as the Principal of our school but a colleague, one who was supportive of all good endeavours, a leader of so many important programs and activities that made our school the envy of many. As a partner in the office, Bill was not one to pick and choose his responsibilities, but one who looked at the list of all we had to do and grabbed whatever needed to be done next. Being that we both came from a rural background with a strong work ethic, I always respected his attitude of “pitching in” to get whatever had to be done not only completed but to make it the best we could. I also respected his confidence in me and was not afraid to share whatever responsibilities that our system needed. From spearheading educational programs of all types to the hiring of staff. I would challenge any other school with the quality of people we hired. My memories of Bill include his support and leadership in Outdoor Education programs, music programs including stage productions, (Bill even pitched in to help us set up stages after classes) and our amazing Physical Education programs which included many, many teams and sports. He was a divisional leader in the area of mathematics, (Sequence of skills eg.) as well as innovative programs for the classroom. And a favourite memory will always be the “staff” meeting held in his office at the end of the term or year where we could always count on a bottle of CR showing up. Just bring the Pepsi. Bill left a mark on this world that will not be forgotten. Andy Bell
