Photo Provided Coy Sudvary has returned to Buckeye Local Schools in a new role as superintendent and is getting acclimated to the inner workings of the district. The former teacher and high school principal said he is glad to be back and hopes to keep moving the district in a positive direction.

DILLONVALE — Coy Sudvary officially began his first day as the new superintendent in the Buckeye Local School District on Aug. 1, but for him it is familiar territory.

Sudvary received a one-year contract to head the district and spent time in July working with Superintendent Scott Celestin to become acclimated during the transitional period, but he is already knowledgeable about the facilities and many staff members since he is a Panther alum and worked in the district for 18 years. That aspect gives him a distinct advantage into filling the role.

“It feels great. It’s very exciting and I’ve felt so grateful to transition from principal to superintendent,” he said. “I worked with Scott Celestin for 10 days in July and he’s been very helpful throughout my career and during my transition.”

The Rayland native graduated from BLHS in 1995 and earned a history degree from Franciscan University, then he received his master’s in administration from Salem International University. He was a student teacher and long-term substitute at Buckeye Local and then taught history at the high school beginning in the Fall of 2001.

He was later employed at Buckeye North Middle School but returned to BLHS, where he also coached junior high and varsity basketball plus junior high football and track and went on to become the assistant principal and principal. Sudvary moved on as principal of Wellsville High School, where he was employed for the past four years, and has resided in Steubenville with his wife, Jessica, and their three daughters, Arabel, Leila and Sylvia.

Now that he has returned, Sudvary hopes to observe and familiarize himself with the district and make any necessary improvements over time. He said he has been in talks with school officials about future projects but wants to be fiscally responsible with district funds.

“There are a lot of exciting things happening now. We have renovation projects going on [that began under Celestin’s administration] and we’ve had conversations about improving facilities, but we need to do some strategic planning and prioritize improvements in the buildings,” he commented. “I’m also getting up to speed on programs and staffing.”

Current updates range from bathrooms, a pyramid roof and gym floor at the high school to the removal of the preschool modular buildings at Buckeye West Elementary with the incorporation of those classes inside the main building, in addition to concrete repairs and replacement at North and South Elementary. His experience with technology led to high-tech upgrades while he led BLHS and he hopes to eventually provide more STEM education in grades K-12 and professional development to incorporate the teaching staff.

Meanwhile, he praised the maintenance staff for their diligence in preparing the sites for the first day of classes on Aug. 24 and said professional development days are scheduled for Aug. 21-23 for further district organization. Sudvary noted that school staffing has been mostly filled but there is always a need for substitute teachers, custodians, secretaries and other employees and anyone interested may contact Jelene Creamer at the district office at (740) 769-7395.

Sudvary said he was pleased to be back at Buckeye Local and it feels like home in many ways.

“I spent 18 years here and there are a lot of familiar faces and good people doing good things. I’m excited for the opportunity to be superintendent,” he continued. “I want to be there as a support mechanism for the staff and students and also make sure we are being accountable. [Celestin] got the district moving in a positive direction and I want to carry that forward.”