Hickory High School Principal Dr. Kathleen Nogay was named assistant superintendent of Slippery Rock Area School District at a board meeting Monday.

Mrs. Nogay, who has been Hickory’s principal for about seven years, will assume full-time duties in the Butler County district at the end of January.

"Sometimes you have to go when the opportunity comes along," Mrs. Nogay said Tuesday.

"It’s very difficult to leave. I love Hermitage. We invested in this community -- my husband and I built our home here. I felt we’d retire here and stay here forever," said the Youngstown native.

The unfinished $24 million high school renovation project made it especially difficult to leave the district, Mrs. Nogay said. She said planning for the project that could be completed by the end of the 2001-02 school year or early in 2002-03 started about six years ago -- almost as long as her district stint.

Mrs. Nogay said her decision to leave wasn’t linked to the school board’s recent decision not to renew Superintendent Dr. Louis C. Mastrian’s contract; she said she applied for the job in October. "My goal has always been a central administration position. It became very clear that wasn’t going to happen here," she said.

Mrs. Nogay, who discussed the decision with Mastrian and with her office staff Tuesday, said her official letter of resignation was en route to Mastrian’s mailbox.

She has three decades of experience in education. A Mount Union College graduate, Nogay was a science teacher at Sebring (Ohio) High School for 16 years before she took a position as Hubbard High School assistant principal in 1986 and as principal of Hickory seven years later.

Slippery Rock Superintendent Dr. Lee Beaton, who became district chief a month ago, touted Mrs. Nogay’s background and qualifications. Beaton added that she is excited to begin working alongside Nogay, who was hired unanimously at a pro-rated salary of $80,000.

Hermitage Superintendent Dr. Louis C. Mastrian spoke about Nogay’s departure with mixed emotions. "We are very happy for Dr. Nogay. It is a good opportunity for her and she takes a lot of experience and knowledge with her," Mastrian said.

"But it is devastating in terms of the high school building project. She has a detailed knowledge of the goings-on in the building. It will be an extremely difficult position to fill at this point in the project," Mastrian added.

Hermitage school directors must now find a replacement. "The board will meet as a team and develop a plan of action. We have to find someone who has the credentials and who can handle the job," said board President Duane Piccirilli.