SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — Kathy Nogay initially wanted to go to medical school. Instead, she ended up with a 44-year career in education.

Nogay, 66, of Hermitage, will retire Monday as the superintendent of the Slippery Rock School District.

Alfonso Angelucci, who was the superintendent of the Union School District in Lawrence County, will replace her.

After graduating from Mount Union College in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in biology, Nogay became a teacher in Sebring, Ohio. She was interested in going to medical school, but she had a lot of college loans. Sebring schools helped her to pay those loans. She ended up teaching there for 16 years.

“I decided I loved it and stayed,” Nogay said.

After that, she became an assistant principal at Hubbard High School in Hubbard, Ohio, from 1986 to 1993. Then she was principal at Hickory High School in Hermitage until 2001.

She got her master’s degree in education from Youngstown State University in 1979. She later earned her doctorate in educational leadership from YSU in 1995. She was the first doctoral graduate in YSU’s doctoral program.

She became the assistant superintendent at Slippery Rock in 2000, and in 2007, she became the superintendent, replacing Lee Beaton, who retired.

At Slippery Rock, she enjoyed working with elementary students. With her background being entirely in high schools, she did not get the chance to do that before.

“Students and children are the main reason any of us get into education,” Nogay said.

She said that the district has a diversity that is not obvious. She said the students who come from the southern part of the district have a different cultural outlook than those from areas such as Slippery Rock.

“When we bring those students together at the middle school, that’s a challenge,” Nogay said.

To better deal with this, the district developed transitional programs for students moving from elementary schools to the middle school.

She said her biggest accomplishment probably has been getting the schools to work together. The elementary schools in the past all had different curriculums.

“When I came here, they were five islands,” Nogay said.

Now, the elementary schools have the same curriculum, and all buildings communicate with each other.

In addition to all the schools working together, Nogay said the administrators in the district office also work as a group.

“It’s always been a team atmosphere here,” Nogay said.

One of the most challenging actions Nogay had to work through was the closing last year of Har-Mer Elementary School in Harrisville.

“It needed to happen,” Nogay said. “It’s a better district for it.”

At the time the school closed, it had only 92 students. With so few, Nogay said the school could not offer the same programs as the other elementary schools.

In 2002 and 2003, the district had a record high enrollment of 2,600 students. Now the enrollment is 2,000.

With the decline, Nogay said it has been difficult to offer the same number of programs as in the past.

Dealing with student deaths over the years also has been hard.

“We’ve had a lot of death in this district,” Nogay said.

In 2001 and 2002, eight students died within a few months. And in that same period, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States took place.

“It was just a really difficult, difficult period,” Nogay said.

To help deal with this, the district implemented a crisis plan model. Under that, a crisis team forms and decides how to tell students and staff information, a counseling group comes in and space is provided so people can properly grieve.

During these times, the superintendent is the only person who can speak on behalf of the district.

At the end of each day during the crisis, the team meets to discuss what worked and what needs to change for the next day. Additionally, Nogay said the counseling group comes back in about one to two weeks to make sure everyone is OK.

With this model, the staff and administration are able to more deftly handle these situations.

“I know they’re prepared,” Nogay said.

The aspect she disliked most about her job was snow days. This year, seven days of class were canceled. Nogay said this is the most she can recall.

Part of the challenge is making the decision that is best for the entire district. She noted the district is roughly 30 miles from north to south.

“What happens in the north is never what happens in the south,” Nogay said.

In addition to that, she noted that all days that are canceled have to be made up.

In 2012, there were plans for a $38.5 million renovation of the high school. To pay for that, the district would have had to increase property taxes by up to 12 mills.

State law required that the district put such a large tax increase to a referendum. Residents voted about 2 to 1 against the increase, which ended the project.

Had the project gone forward, Nogay wanted to stay on until it finished. However, when it was clear the project was not going to happen, Nogay felt it was time to retire.

She announced in October she would retire, but until March, she said the school board was asking her if she was sure of her decision.

School board President Polly Shaw pointed out most superintendents around the state only stay on three to five years. Nogay had 14 years at the district, both as superintendent and assistant.

“She made a huge impact to the district,” Shaw said.

She said that Nogay has distinguished herself to the point that she is not considered a “woman superintendent,” but just as a superintendent.

Shaw noted that 20 years ago the district had no female administrators.

“Think of the progress that has been made,” Shaw said.

She said Nogay has left a solid platform for Angelucci.

“We’re ready to go,” Shaw said.

Nogay expects to continue to be active in retirement.

“I’m not much of a relaxing kind of person,” Nogay said.

She said she enjoys sitting by the pool during the summer, but after a few weeks, she starts to think about what comes next.

“I’m just not a sit at home kind of person,” Nogay said.

She has taught classes at YSU as an adjunct professor, and she said she may pursue teaching there full time. She said she may try to fill in as an interim superintendent if a school district needs her.

Additionally, she promised her granddaughter that they will take a trip to Paris.

Nogay lives with her husband, a retired teacher. They have one daughter and one granddaughter.