John Carter Takes the Reins at Stevenson

Stevenson High School's new principal admits he doesn't know every person the school's 500-member staff. But he's getting closer to that goal every day.

"I'd love to say (I know) 100 percent, but I'd say I'm probably at 97 percent. I know all the teachers," John Carter said, in reference to the roughly 300 educators who instruct Stevenson's 4,200 students.

If all those numbers caught your attention, well, it could be because Carter is a numbers guy. He taught math at Stevenson from 1993 to 1994, then made his way back to SHS in 2000. He was the school's director of mathematics from 2001 to 2006, and for the past four years he served as assistant principal for teaching and learning.

"I think the years of experience lend to continuity," Carter said. "Having been here and knowing the patch the school has traveled until this point is a great benefit.

"Given the strength of the community and the faculty and staff here, it's an honor to be chosen as the principal of Stevenson High School," he added. "It's a wonderful school. It's a very collaborative work environment, and the community is supportive and wonderful to work with."

He said maintaining Stevenson's strong academic performance record and building upon the "collaborative environment among teachers and staff members" are among his goals as principal.

He plans to foster relationships by talking with students, teachers and staff and attending a variety of community functions to get a broad range of feedback on the school's efforts. 

Carter said he will continue to solicit input through monthly parent meetings the school introduced last year. Fifteen parents of students from each grade level will be randomly selected to attend the breakfast meetings, which in the past have attracted anywhere from five to 25 participants, he said.

Other goals include keeping the school's curriculum stays up to date, and continuously making sure Stevenson addresses students' needs for intellectual, social and emotional learning.

Though his entire day is devoted to the well being of teens, Carter said he still misses working directly with students in the classroom.

"I try to get in an observe classes. I haven't taught a math class in a few years, but I would relish the opportunity," he said. "It's always a challenge, I think, for an administrator to make that move."

But whether they realize it or not, some Stevenson students are still mastering math with Carter's assistance. He has helped author 37 math books, including a geometry text used at the high school. Some years, Carter's pre-calculus book is also used at Stevenson.

He plans to stay in tune with students by chatting with them in the hallways and cafeteria, and he jumped at the chance to chaperone a 10-day summer trip to Spain with Spanish 3 and advanced placement students.

"I love working with teenagers. It's always invigorating. It's rewarding to watch them grow over the four years they are here, emotionally, intellectually and socially," he said.

Carter is married to Dorothy, an English Language Learners aide at Ivy Hall Elementary School in Buffalo Grove's District 96. They have an eighth-grade son and a daughter who is a junior at Stevenson.