Who We Are
Voices of DSHA

Community Comes First

From the 2020-2021 school year Word Magazine, published in summer 2021. 
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Retiring Technology Coordinator Jeff Kmiecik
will do just about anything for the DSHA community. Its
needs come before his own, and his roles span beyond IT. He is a powerful force over the PA system
leading morning prayer with words of wisdom and encouragement, and he constantly looks for ways to be
helpful. While he has been planning to retire for 5 years, he stuck with his IT team through one of its most
challenging years because of his care for DSHA and its prosperity.
Q: You work mostly behind the scenes. What are your specific roles or responsibilities?

A: I take care of any of the IT issues: computer problems, software problems, AV issues and the sound projectors, etc. I’m also responsible for adding new employees, setting up their computers for them and any special software they need. We are a small department; we only have three people. We want to make sure everybody knows where we’re at and that we’re here to answer almost any question.

Throughout my career, my roles have been customer oriented. I brought that mentality into this school. The teachers come to school to teach; the students come to school to learn; and anything I can do to make sure that that process isn’t interrupted is what I feel I need to do.

I’m also involved in the security of the school: the doors, the camera surveillance. Those are all things, while outside of my purview, I took an interest in because I wanted to be helpful. It just kind of de-facto became what I would do. I also have been certified as an ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate) Active Shooter trainer. That’s something that is near and dear to my heart. Unfortunately, I really think we need to be cognizant of that in this day and age. I enjoyed developing and presenting the training to this community.

Q: This year has been tough especially in the IT world with the switch to virtual learning last spring and the hybrid model this fall. Why did you delay your retirement, knowing that things might get tough from an IT perspective?

A: Because we’re a small group, it didn’t feel right to walk away from something that major where I felt like I could still contribute to the IT team here. We needed a group of people that would work well together, and we needed somebody that had some institutional knowledge and background. We needed to make sure that the product going out the door was the best product we could give.

For me personally, there’s no way I would have been able to walk away. It’s not part of the way I was brought up. You’re part of a team and you work on that team until everything is done. You make sure the team prospers.

Q: What has been the best part of working with technology in partnership with DSHA faculty, staff, and students? In the past year, have you had the opportunity to connect more with students?

A: There’s been nothing that is boring about this job. From the students, teachers, administration, staff — every issue that they have is unique to them, and we must treat it as such even though it may be the 100th time we’ve asked them, “Have you restarted your computer before you called me?”

In this year, I have probably interacted more with students in a virtual way than I have in previous years, primarily because they’re using technology more. Before I was the guy behind the curtain, which is what my preference is. If I’m doing my job correctly, they don’t know who I am because everything’s running perfectly.

Q: How does your work reflect the all-girls mission or environment of DSHA?

A: I am the product of a single-gender high school education. I went to an all-boys high school in Chicago. It’s easy for me to understand the environment. In this environment, we work within the realm of making sure the students are taken care of.

Q: What does it mean to you to work at a school where the Salvatorian mission is at the forefront?

A: Being Roman Catholic, I’ve been brought up in that way of thinking. You’re trying to make sure you’re doing things the right way. You’re trying to honor God. You’re trying to honor your commitment to your fellow man. That’s primarily what attracted me to this particular place.

Q: What is your favorite DSHA memory?

A: I have always been drawn to the theatre. Watching my daughter as one of the nuns in the Sound of Music was excellent. Being able to (volunteer before I started my role here and) build the sets, work in the theatre, and sit back and watch that all unfold and watch the absolute talent that we have here at school has been amazing. It’s unbelievable to think of some of the students that have gone through here. All of that talent, not only in the theatre, but in academics, athletics, etc. It’s an unbelievable place.

JEFF KMIECIK AT-A-GLANCE:

Years at DSHA: 17

What he will miss most about DSHA: The people that he works and interacts with; the noise the girls make in the building; and reading morning prayer.

Favorite quote: “Have you tried restarting your computer?”

Outside of IT roles:
• ALICE Active Shooter Coordinator
• Regular reading of all-school prayer

Family: Wife, Georgene Karkutt Kmiecik, DS ’67; daughters, Denise Kmiecik Kawczynski, DSHA ’85, Tina Kmiecik Leverenz, DSHA ’87, and Ashley Kmiecik-Wright, DSHA ’03; son, Joshua

Education:
Archbishop Joseph Weber High School, DePaul University, and Wright College in Chicago

“Having Jeff at DSHA made our IT team that much greater, and his vast knowledge
and skillset are without equal. Last summer would have been an easy out
to retire and skip all the craziness that was the 2020-21 school year. But luckily
for DSHA, Jeff’s dedication to the mission and the students inspired him to help
the school navigate through this year and its many unique challenges. I will be
forever grateful for his time. His impact to DSHA’s IT abilities will go on forever.”

– DSHA Director of Technology John White
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