~Written by Kathy Levandoski~ Valparaiso Community Schools was profoundly impacted by the life of Lorrie Woycik. She was a force of nature, one who never shied away from saying what needed to be said. She was the first Valparaiso High School varsity girls basketball coach, a respected member of the VCS school board, a teacher at Vale Day School & Special Education Learning Facility, and a volunteer worker at the VHS security desk. Additionally, she was a driving force behind special education and Special Olympics in Porter County, applying her knowledge from coaching Team Indiana in the 1968 Special Olympic Games in Chicago. She was a pioneer, a leader, a trailblazer, and an eternal optimist. She didn’t care what perceived limits anyone had, she only wanted to challenge them to improve and be their best. She was a genuine, caring, and passionate person, who brightened the day of everyone she met. My first interaction with her was as the youngest member on the VHS varsity BB team. Her passion & enthusiasm made practice fun daily. I knew that she taught students with special needs, but I never saw her in action until one Saturday in winter. On a Friday at the end of practice, Coach Woycik asked if anyone was free the next day. As the only player not old enough to drive & without any plans, I said that I was free. She told me to meet her at 8am at The Pines Ski Hill. I said that I didn’t know how to ski and she said, “Meet me at the Pines at 8am!” I showed up & she taught me how to ski in about 10 minutes, leading into the next activity: for 8 hours, I helped special education athletes ski down the hill. It was a blast and I was hooked! Teaching special education students became my career. I truly have her to thank for the path I took in life. Lorrie Woycik’s love touched many teachers, parents, and students and will be remembered forever. She was a true blessing! --- ~From Lorrie Woycik's VHS Athletics Hall of Fame induction in 2018~ Lorrie is a pioneer educator and coach. A native of Staten Island, NY, she graduated from Valparaiso University in 1952 and has contributed to Valparaiso Community Schools and the city for more than six decades with no signs of slowing down. Lorrie started teaching at Vale Day School, now know as Porter County Education Services, in 1957. She was the original coach for Special Olympics in Valparaiso, starting in 1969 when the program first began in Indiana. Throughout the years, she has coached "HER KIDS" in swimming, basketball, softball, volley-ball, skiing and many other sports. Along with her husband Barney, a VHS graduate, she was the Ski School Director at the Pines Ski Area. Lorrie was the first girls basketball coach at Valparaiso High School, starting the program in 1974 and leading the team for its first two seasons. She has received many Special Olympics honors throughout her life, and is also a member of the Valparaiso University Athletic Hall of Fame. She and Barney had three children and she now has 15 great grandchildren. "Kids are my business" is her motto. Says Lorrie, "God has blessed me richly, and I thank Him every day!"