On Wednesday, December 1, 2021, Mr. Gregory Komondor, the Principal of Bel Air High School, announced to his staff and students that he would be retiring at the end of this month. Shortly after, On Friday, December 3, 2021, Mr. Komondor met with a group of Journalism students to discuss his working career, plans for the future and recap on his favorite memories.

Mr. Komondor worked for Harford County Public Schools for 30 years, moving from different schools, building friendships and watching kids grow into adults. When you work in a building for a long time, you will pick up on the things you love, the things you dislike and the things you wish you could change. Going through a global pandemic in 2020 made things difficult to adapt to school and made Mr. Komondor realize the importance of mental health. Watching students struggle online as they take on all their academic tasks alone can be a big eye opener. We asked Komondor if he could change one thing before leaving, what would it be?

Mr. Komondor stated, “If I could change one thing, I think from what we’ve learned from the pandemic I would like to make every Friday a half day for the mental wellbeing of students and the staff. Just to have those days to do things like clubs, activities, grade check and make up work.”

Over the time Mr. Komondor spent at Bel Air High School, he made countless efforts to make sure the school stayed involved in its community. Giving back to the less fortunate and sharing love to everyone. With impressive amounts of charity work, Mr. Komondor can retire knowing he made a big impact on thousands of individuals within the Bel Air community.

” I always preach family first and being involved in the community. What we do here as a school, I don’t know if everyone understands the amount of things that we do that no other school does. The Thanksgiving drive where we feed over one hundred families, the Toys For Tots and jeans day, the 12-14 different charities that we do jeans day for, 2 times a month and then all that money goes to the different charities we work with at the time. I always want to make this a strong community and enjoy the idea of reaching out and giving back as much as we can,” said Mr. Komondor

Understanding and building a relationship with your students is key to being a successful principal. Mr. Komondor was definitely successful, as he made the safety of his students his number one priority. Encouraging staff to talk to students in a calm manner, reassuring seniors stressed about college that they would be fine, guiding each child in a positive direction, giving them access to a bright future. These are the actions of a strong leader.

We asked Mr. Komondor what he would say to a student who is stressed about their future and what to do next in life, he answered calmly stating, “It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay to not know what you want to do right now, and I think that’s something that I worked with on the school counseling, just to say it’s okay.”

The hardest goodbye for any individual leaving a place they’ve loved, is saying goodbye to the friends you will no longer see every day. Learning to hold people close and not take the time you have for granted is a great life lesson. Mr. Komondor expressed, “working here, building relationships and being honest. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and build a relationship and know that no relationship is perfect… When you build relationships and you stay true to them. That saved me and I think that’s what saves you guys too. Whether it’s with your family, your friends, your coaches, your teachers. Whoever it is, I think that’s the support you need.”

Mr. Komondor was a successful, unique principal. He is a prime example of a good mentor and has left some big shoes to fill. The students and staff of Bel Air High School are going to miss him dearly, but the friendships he made will last a lifetime.