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Tribute to My Friend Michael Smith years or sadly, none at all. Life would be so much simpler if we knew our expiration date. It would also be pretty morbid. But it would allow us to make important decisions in a timely manner.” He says a lot more than that about his journey, so I encourage you to check out his 500 days website. Mike was healthy, he ran almost daily, he ate right, took care of himself and loved his family. He was 55 years old but lived like a 45-year old. He was happy and had a wonderful sense of humor. The kind of humor where he could post a simple tweet that would make you laugh out loud. Mike was always willing to share his expertise and humor with others as he knew that the superintendency could be a lonely place. He attended regional meetings, the IASA and IASB Conferences and Sullivan Supt Group meetings in order to be with other superintendents. He was a guy that you wanted sitting at your table because of his quick wit. For the last few years, a focus of the IASA has been to remind superintendents to take care of themselves. Sadly, Mike did take care of himself and his heart got him anyway. It’s a lesson for all of us that we never know when our expiration date is going to be. I am so happy for Mike that he took some time away when he had it. He will be missed by all who knew him.

By Dr. Vic Zimmerman IASA Field Services Director

We lost a great person when Mike Smith passed away from a heart attack on January 7, 2023. Mike served as superintendent of Beardstown CUSD #15 and had previously served as superintendent of Tuscola CUSD #301 and Oakland CUSD #5. In 2008, he started a blog and Twitter account called @PrincipalsPage, which has almost 22,000 followers. The week before he died, he had sent his region an email about self-care and taking vacation days—not just in the summer—but whenever it was fitting. He said it was good for yourself, your family and your district to do so adding, “when we all retire, no one will remember the random Monday we took off—but our mental well-being will be better for having done it.” Following the 2018–19 school year when he left Tuscola CUSD #301, he decided to hold off on finding his next school district and travel across the country with his wife Shannon. Their daughter, Ashton, was attending college in Alabama so what better time to do it. He let us follow his journey on the website www.500daysoffun.com where he explained WHY he wanted to take a year off. He said, “I have always been fascinated and confused by the idea that we are all working for a retirement that might last 30

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