Bethel Park High School teacher Mr. Brad Kszastowski knew that each year, someone was recognized as the regional advisor of the year at the Pennsylvania Student Council Regional Meeting.
However, as he sat at South Fayette High School listening to the presentation announcement earlier this spring, a realization swept over him.
“In the first few sentences, I thought, ‘Wow, that advisor’s kids love him or her; they are saying such nice things,” he said. “Next, they got into some of the specifics and mentioned some of the community outreach projects they’d done, but I still didn’t put it together. I thought, ‘Oh, that’s interesting because we do those things too,’” he laughed.
Kszastowski said it was only when the presenter mentioned “Wish Week,” an annual event in which the Student Government Association (SGA) and some staff fulfill some of their classmates’ wishes, that it finally clicked that they were talking about him!
“I was completely shocked, and when I turned to my delegation to figure out what was going on, they were all giggling,” he said. “That’s when I finally understood exactly what was happening. It was quite a surprise.”
Kszastowski, a Bethel Park grad himself ’05 who, in addition to serving as the student government advisor, also serves as a class sponsor and helped attract Robert Morris University as a College in High School partner for his Computer Integrated Manufacturing class. He has forged several community partnerships through his media production classes and helps facilitate BP Connect, a leadership program that pairs students from the high school with counterparts at IMS. He will now advance to the Pennsylvania State Advisor of the Year competition.
According to Madelyn Sams, the SGA’s senior president who nominated Kszastowski for the award, her advisor’s constant willingness to volunteer his time and go above and beyond to help his students were the primary reasons for the nomination.
“’Mr. K’ has never denied any of our requests or shot down our ideas,” she said. “He is always extremely supportive of our plans and will do whatever it takes to help make it successful. He is just a joy to work with and learn from.”
Sams said Kszastowski also regularly preaches to his leadership team the importance of including everyone in their plans. “He always talks about making sure that we reach every student in the school at least once, and I think that tells you what kind of a person he is.”
Kszastowski oversees a student council of nine Executive Board Members, 16 Senators, and 92 Homeroom and Representatives at-large. The student-run organization serves the students and staff of Bethel Park High School and the community.
Principal Joseph Villani, who heartily endorsed Kszastowski’s candidacy, said that whether it's helping them rehearse presentations before and after school, planning the school’s homecoming festivities, or collecting for Toys for Tots and clothing for area homeless, Kszastowski is always in the mix making a difference.
“Brad is just one of those people you can always count on to do the right thing and to make whatever he’s working on better for our students,” said Villani. “He’s a huge asset for our school and well deserving of this recognition.”
Sams said Kszastowksi is so humble that the whole thing completely dumbfounded him. “Honestly, I think we were more excited than he was,” she said. “I cannot think of a more deserving recipient of this recognition.”
Kszastowski said the award means more because of who nominated him.
“The students had to submit a letter of recommendation, and in addition, they had to ask our principal to submit a letter of recommendation, so there was a lot of behind-the-scenes work that went into it, and I am grateful for their efforts,” he said.
“This award truly reflects their hard work more than anything I’ve done,” he said. “Everything we have achieved as a group is due to their hard work and dedication, and I couldn’t be prouder to work with a group of students.”