Feb 18, 2018 By Mark Soroka for The 4 min read

Colleagues, students, friends and relatives of Dr. Karen Polkabla expressed shock and grief upon learning of the sudden death of the highly respected Ringgold superintendent. But even as they struggled to come to terms with this loss, all those who knew Polkabla agreed that she was a one-of-a-kind superintendent who put other people first.

“Karen was one of the kindest people I knew,” said Carol Flament, president of the Ringgold School Board. “She loved the children dearly and was for them 100 percent. And she showed the same affection for her colleagues. This is a great loss for our entire district.”

Polkabla was scheduled to host a tour for other local superintendents on Thursday at the new Ringgold middle school. When Polkabla didn’t show up for work, her colleagues asked the Donora police department to check on her. Polkabla was found in her Donora home — authorities determined she died of natural causes.

“My heart is still breaking over this,” said Flament. “It’s so hard to believe. I just spoke with her the other day. She was heartbroken over the shootings in Florida.”

Polkabla, who began her teaching career at Ringgold School District in 1987, taught the fourth and fifth grades at the former Donora Elementary Center and also taught math at Carroll Middle School. After becoming principal at Donora Elementary Center in 2000, she was chosen as assistant superintendent at Ringgold in 2007 then promoted to superintendent in 2012.

One of Polkabla’s crowning achievements was overseeing the addition of a new $38 million middle school in Carroll Township. The school opened for classes in early January.

Flament remembers accompanying Polkabla to a function, where two students of Ringgold were being honored. That evening, Polkabla demonstrated why she was considered such a strong advocate for all of Ringgold’s students.

“Karen was concerned that one of the student’s parents wouldn’t be there to see him get that award,” said Flament. “As it turned out, the boy’s parents didn’t show up, but Karen told him she would be his mom for that night. And when it was time for the boy to have his picture taken with his family, Karen and I proudly joined him for the picture. That shows how much she loved the kids in our district.”

Maria Degnan, a Ringgold teacher and president of the Ringgold Education Association, shared Flament’s sentiments.

“Dr. Polkabla was a big advocate for our students and always put them first,” said Degnan. “Our district is going to feel this loss for a very long time. But her legacy will live on, and we will never forget her.”

Polkabla announced her retirement plans before the start of the 2017-18 school year and was scheduled to work until June 30.

Ringgold is offering counseling for any students, teachers or staff who are grappling with the loss of their superintendent.

Polkabla also served on the Donora Council for 25 years, before stepping down from that position in December. Marie Trozzo, a close friend of Polkabla and fellow Donora councilwoman, noted that Polkabla also made a deep impact in Donora.

“She was super intelligent and a great negotiator,” said Trozzo. “Above all, she was an extremely compassionate person. There were things she did for other people that no one would ever know.”

Flament said that the Ringgold school board will have its regular monthly meeting Wednesday night at Ringgold’s administrative headquarters in New Eagle. During the meeting, the board will discuss how Ringgold will handle the transition process until a new superintendent is hired.

Flament said that despite the great loss, Ringgold will find a way to move forward.

“She was Ringgold, and she held us together,” said Flament. “Karen will be a hard act to follow, but we will take it one day at a time. We owe it to her to continue on and give our students the very best education possible.”

Anthony L. Massafra Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Donora is handling funeral arrangements. A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church in Donora.