Get to Know Dr. Spurka
Who was your favorite teacher and how did his or her teaching impact you?
Mr. Watson, my 8th grade Algebra I teacher. I was an average student.I worked hard and made pretty good grades. The same students got 100s every test, and it usually wasn’t me. One day, Mr. Watson announced to the class that there was only one perfect test score in class (out of 25 students) -- to my surprise, it was me - or “Eddie,” as I was called. Mr. Watson went out of his way to celebrate me. He believed in me and gave me inspiration. To this day, we still stay in touch.
We know you played a lot of sports growing up. What sports teams do you follow now?
My number one team is the Philadelphia Eagles. I follow all of the Philadelphia teams -- the Flyers, Sixers, Phillies. I’m also a Georgia Bulldogs fan. I received my Masters and Doctorate degrees from UGA, and my son goes to UGA. I’m also a big fan of my daughter’s tennis team, of course! When I’m hunkering down watching the Dawgs or my Philadelphia teams, our game day fare might include soft pretzels and chips - and pizza’s always good. I’m pretty intense, though, during games and usually eat beforehand!
How do you and your family like to spend time together?
We make sure to have meals together. We also love to compete against each other in everything - corn hole, Topgolf, you name it. My daughter is more competitive like her father, not like her mom and brother. I was naturally competitive growing up with my dad and brothers. My wife isn’t all that competitive, though she played tennis and basketball in high school. We also like to watch movies together. I really value time with my family.
How did you meet your wife?
We went to junior high together - met in 7th grade. We were friends throughout junior high and both played basketball. In 9th grade, she was taller than me (she’s 5’11”), and we didn’t start dating till junior year, when I’d grown to 6’3” and was taller than her! My wife and I also went to West Chester University together. I was being recruited for football by various teams but broke my arm senior year. I decided to attend West Chester and was fortunate to play football there, playing positions of quarterback and punter. I played for five years (was redshirted freshman year).
What is the number one reason you came to Pinecrest?
It’s really hard to say, but I think the number-one thing was “passion.” I had looked at Pinecrest before and had been here on campus with my son’s lacrosse team. Out of all the people I met who were associated with Pinecrest -- the Board, parents, students, staff -- there was a sense of passion for the school. Passion really equates to family, as I see it. Pinecrest is a family. And I finally saw this sense of “family” at the All School Mass on the Feast of the Assumption. Everyone came together - the little ones, the older ones, the choir, the community. When I considered coming to Pinecrest, I wondered if I was a good fit. I kept getting a clear message that this was where I was supposed to be. People choose to come to Pinecrest, and I think that’s special.
I was born and raised Catholic, another reason I feel that I am where I should be now. My mom is one of 11 children, and I have over 100 cousins. Our parish was Our Lady Queen of Peace. When I got married, Monsignor Carr took me under his wing and made an impression on me. I think our wedding was special, as my wife is Methodist, so Monsignor welcomed a Methodist minister to be a part of our Catholic wedding.
How would you describe your leadership style?
I am very collaborative, very situational. I can be decisive but patient. I like to empower others to make decisions and not be afraid of taking risks. I think I empower people - I am not a micromanager. I don’t need to check on people doing their jobs. I want to understand one’s skill sets to make sure each person can be the best that they can be and use their unique skill sets for the success of the school. People would be surprised to know that I’m actually 95% introvert. I like to go out and absorb others’ energy, but I also like my down time and periodic breaks.
What is your favorite book?
I like to read motivational and leadership books. I really enjoyed John Gordon’s book, Energy Bus. I’ve started to read The Carpenter. I like to read about building things - that’s what we’re doing here at Pinecrest. The last book I read was Believe It by Nick Foles, quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. He almost quit football and relied a lot on his faith and family to persevere. I like the “underdog” stories. I feel that, as a kid and being from Philly, I was an underdog.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
That I’m really an introvert. And that I almost had the opportunity to appear on the reality show, Survivor. My students got me to apply to Survivor, and right before the offers went out, I accepted my Principal position at Roswell High School. I took the job instead of being on Survivor! It made for a great story in the AJC: Spurka chooses Principal over Survivor!
What is your favorite movie?
The easy one is Rocky. There are three movies that I always watch on TNT. Remember the Titans is great - about underdogs, bringing people together. I met Coach Yoast. He coached at Roswell High School before he went up to coach the Titans. Shawshank Redemption was meaningful, as it was about breaking through racial lines, profiling a man wrongly accused. And Braveheart depicts the struggle for humankind and for freedom. And as a side note, I have, indeed, run up the infamous Art Museum steps showcased in Rocky!
Who is your favorite actor?
I have two. Clint Eastwood is one favorite, and I love Gran Torino. I also love Tom Cruise. He’s played a lot of different roles well. Jack Reacher and Mission Impossible are favorites - he’s always running! My favorite Tom Cruise movie in college was Rain Man. My college friends and I had all of the lines memorized.
What trouble did you get in when you were in high school?
I was a really good kid. I didn’t get in much trouble. As a senior in high school, I was always in the gym. With about 20 minutes left in a class one day, I told my teacher I had to sell pretzels for Student Council so that I could actually go play basketball. The assistant principal sat me down and just told me not to do that again! I always found it hard to sit in a classroom for 45 minutes!
Do you have an inspiring story you’d like to share?
Yes, and it’s from my time at Glen Mills School. I’ve always been protective of my students- whether as teacher, counselor, or principal. Kids I taught at Glen Mills had been sentenced there. My students were convicted of various crimes and typically sent to Glen Mills for 14 to 16 months. Our job was to get these kids integrated back into society. I remember taking my students to dinner and movies on several occasions. People worried when they saw the “blue vans” that the kids were transported in. But when I took them places, they were always well behaved. I gave them opportunities outside of school that they didn’t have before, and that really meant a lot to me.
I remember taking Alex to dinner - he’d never been to a restaurant. He wanted steak. When the waiter asked him how he’d like it cooked, “Yes, please” was his answer. I had to explain to him about “well done,” “done,” etc. because he had never had that dining experience before.
When I taught at Glen Mills, I had the best schedule - I worked Tuesday-Friday, from 4pm-12am, and then Saturday, from 8am-4pm. I was off from Saturday at 4pm through Tuesday afternoon. There were times on my days off that I’d take students to lunch and dinner. I heard from coworkers, “You’re wasting your time, coming in on your day off.” I knew I wasn’t. And my job wasn’t about the money. I have always had the mindset that it doesn’t matter what your background is, or your race or religion - I’m going to accept you and love you and help you be the best that you can be. My career has always been all about building relationships and shaping kids.
A little bit more about Dr. Spurka...
One of the things people should know about me - especially the kids - are things that I won’t do for fundraising or other causes. I won’t have my head shaved, I won’t sing, I won’t dance, I won’t do anything that causes me public embarrassment! I’ll do a dunk tank any day. I guess this is where the introvert in me comes in to play! I’ll play sports with you, but don’t put me on a stage singing and dancing.
