Members of District 300's Teaching & Leadership Team Named

The School Board has approved Administration's recommendation for the school district's new Teaching & Learning Leadership Team, which will include some of the most talented and knowledgeable educators in District 300.

The Selection Committee included nine staff members from across D300 offices and schools.  Their charge was to fill the three grade-level Assistant Superintendent for Teaching & Learning positions (elementary, middle, and high school), as well as select the new Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning for Education Services (special education, health/nursing, homeless, and more).

Over the last couple of weeks, the Committee interviewed internal candidates to determine whether a great fit could be made from current D300 employees to lessen the operational learning curve.  If the right candidates were not found internally, the Committee was prepared to look outside of the district.  The Committee came to consensus, as follows, after interviewing 11 internal candidates.  They will start their district-level work now around their current school-level jobs, but they will not officially take their new positions in the Central Office until July 1, 2011.

"The Selection Committee not only looked for the best and brightest educational leaders in D300, but for those who could work very well together as a team," said Superintendent Elect Michael Bregy.  "Their ability to collaborate will be crucial to our school district's renewed focus on teaching and learning.  I foresee tremendous progress for our students through their expertise and leadership."

Assistant Superintendent for Teaching & Learning - Elementary/Preschool:  KRISTIN CORRIVEAU 

Ms. Corriveau is a lifelong resident of D300 who began her teaching career here in 1992 at Dundee Highlands Elementary School and later taught at Neubert Elementary School. 

From 2001 to 2003, she was assistant principal for three D300 elementary schools: Sleepy Hollow, Lakewood, and Liberty, where she has served as principal since 2003.  She has an MA in Educational Leadership from Aurora University.  Ms. Corriveau has held several leadership roles on district-level committees, including the Staffing Committee, Teacher Evaluation Committee, Discipline Review Committee (DRC), Curriculum Coordination Committee (CCC), and the Elementary Standards-Based Report Card Committee.

Assistant Superintendent for Teaching & Learning - Middle School:  KARA VICENTE 

Mrs. Vicente joined D300 in 1996 as an assistant principal at Dundee Middle School after teaching 7th grade math for several years at Byron Middle School in District 226.  She was promoted to DMS principal in 1997 and continues in this capacity.  She has a MS in Education Administration from Northern Illinois University. 

Like Ms. Corriveau, she has played a key role in numerous district-level initiatives, including the Staffing Committee, Teacher Evaluation Committee, Induction & Mentoring Leadership Team, Response to Intervention (RtI) Secondary Steering Team, and the Middle School Literacy Leadership Team.  Mrs. Vicente also co-produced reports on two major programs - AVID, and Exploratory - for the school district's Educational Program Review Technique (EPRT) process. 

Assistant Superintendent for Teaching & Learning - High School:  BEN CHURCHILL 

Mr. Churchill started his educational career as an English as a Second Language Teacher in Hangzhou, China, from 1996 to 2002.  He then joined the faculty of Howard Area Leadership Academy, a Chicago charter school, as a 9th grade English/Language Arts teacher, and he went on to become the school's Director from 2003 to 2008. 

Mr. Churchill came to D300 in 2008 as the Freshman Academy Coordinator for Dundee-Crown High School, where he was later promoted to Associate Principal of Curriculum & Instruction.  Mr. Churchill has his MA in Educational Leadership from Northeastern Illinois University; he also has a Master of Education with Distinction degree in Teaching & Learning from DePaul University.  

In just three years with D300, he has already become actively involved in district-level efforts, such as the Staffing Committee,  RtI Secondary Steering Team, and two reports - AVID, and Professional Development - for the district's EPRT process.  At Elgin Community College, he serves on the Student Services & Parent Communication Committee for the Alliance for College Readiness. Click here to listen to a March 2009 radio interview with Mr. Churchill and Dundee-Crown High School students about the school's Advance Placement (AP) program.

Assistant Superintendent for Teaching & Learning - Educational Services:  SHELLEY NACKE

Mrs. Nacke is currently the principal of Jacobs High School.  Before earning this position in 2010, she was first teacher then principal for nine years at Oak Ridge School, which is D300's alternative school for students in 6th to 12th grade who have special needs or were referred to Oak Ridge under the district's Safe School Program. 

She has a Master's Degree in Special Education (Behavior Disorders) from Northern Illinois University. She has also served as special education supervisor at Dundee-Crown High School and Algonquin Middle School. During her time in D300, Mrs. Nacke has served as a member of the district's CCC, Gifted Subject Area Committee, DRC, and was co-facilitator of Peer Jury. She also coordinated of the Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS) program and was a member of the RtI Steering Committee.

District 300 Accepts Applications

D300 Human Resources will begin accepting applications by the end of this week for the vacancies created by these promotions: Jacobs High School principal, Dundee Middle School principal, Liberty Elementary School principal, and Dundee-Crown High School associate principal for curriculum & instruction. 

These school-level positions will be filled in time for Mr. Bregy's announcement around May 2, 2011, about Phase II of his priority plan.  To read about Phase I and learn more about this process, please visit the Feb. 17, 2011, news release. 

Several administrative positions are being eliminated in order to accommodate these new positions without increasing administrative costs or the number of administrative positions.

Source: District 300 press release