MADISON TOWNSHIP — When he was the head football coach at Madison, Sean Conway surrounded himself with a talented and experienced group of assistants.
He said he will employ a similar philosophy in his new role as the Madison High School principal.
Conway was recently tabbed to take over for Rob Peterson, who was selected in April to be the district’s new superintendent. Conway had been the high school’s assistant principal under Peterson since the fall of 2015, serving as the dean of students from 2010 to 2015.
Conway was the head football coach at Madison for five seasons from 2010 to 2014. The Rams were 29-24 with an Ohio Cardinal Conference championship in 2012 and playoff berths in 2012 and 2014. His coaching staff included former head coaches Matt Godsil, LeRoy Smith and Jamie Masi.
“In football, I had the opportunity to coach great kids and I also had the greatest assistant coaching staff ever assembled,” Conway said.
“The great thing about taking over as the principal is not only do I again have the opportunity to work with unbelievable kids, I believe I have the greatest group of teachers available.
“The building is set up to be successful because of the people within it,” Conway said.
Conway is the right man for the job, Peterson said.
“Sean is going to do a great job. He’s built a strong rapport with the students and staff,” Peterson said. “He is a tireless worker and a strong communicator. Those are things that will serve him well in this job.
“Over the last 10 years he’s really grown as an administrator and a leader,” Peterson said.
A 2001 College of Wooster graduate, Conway got his start in teaching in his native Youngstown. He was a social studies teacher and the head football coach at nearby Crestview for six years from 2004 to 2010 before arriving at Madison.
Conway’s wife, Stephanie, is a teacher at Eastview Elementary. They have three children who all attend Eastview.
“Madison has become my home. I bleed Madison green,” Conway said. “In my lifetime, the most rewarding positions I’ve ever held are leadership positions within Madison.
“This is an opportunity to not only advance professionally, but to do it at a place I absolutely love. When you can go to work and see the faces I see every day, it makes for an awesome environment.”
Perhaps the biggest challenge awaiting Conway — and every other school administrator across the region, state and country — is navigating a world in the throes of the coronavirus pandemic.
The former football coach doesn’t have a play in his playbook for COVID-19.
“Right now we’re doing everything we can in this difficult situation to support our community and make sure our kids have the support structure in place to be successful,” Conway said.
“Obviously, everyone would like to return to a normal school day but until that happens, we have to do our best to finish strong this year and the evaluate what things were successful and what things we need to improve on.
“Like everyone else, we’re learning as we go. Luckily, we have a great teaching staff and a great community. Together, we’ll develop a shared vision of where we go from here with our kids as the focus,” Conway said.
As challenging as the distance-learning model has been for the staff, Conway said it’s been even more difficult for the students — especially the graduating seniors.
“Every individual student has circumstances specific to him or her,” Conway said. “You’ve got kids missing out on graduation and prom and spring sports, things they’ve waited for their entire lives.
“It’s heart-breaking, but our community is doing everything we can to celebrate those seniors,” he said.
Conway isn’t surprised to see the Madison community rise to the challenge.
“Madison is a special place,” he said. “The people here have embraced me and my family and we absolutely love them back.
“My goal is for the people of Madison to be proud of the high school and be proud of our kids and for us to promote our kids and show everybody the great things that are going on here.”
