Prado To Return Next Year As Central Middle School Principal

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — Kathleen Prado, who has been filling in this school year as the interim principal of Central Middle School, will return next year as the middle school’s principal. The Evergreen Park School Dist. 124 Board of Education officially approved her appointment on Jan. 15. Prado will continue to serve as the district’s director of curriculum and instruction.

D124 Superintendent Dr. Robert Machak said he was thrilled to have Prado continue in her dual role for another year.

“I am proud of the teachers, staff, students, and administration at Central for the way that they have all pulled together this year. The positive energy and enthusiasm across the middle school is so exciting; it's infectious,” Machak said in a news release. “Kathleen Prado is leading an amazing transformation of the climate and culture at Central; keeping this fantastic administrative team together another year will allow everyone at Central the opportunity to continue to build on the strong middle school foundation that we have laid for our students this year.”

Since Prado took over as principal at the beginning of the current school year, Machak said students at Central are safer, more engaged, and challenged with more rigorous academic standards and opportunities.

First-year assistant principals Jenny Daly and Daniel Richmond have also worked to improve internal and external communication, and to ensure that school rules and guidelines are consistently followed. With additional procedures now in place, they will spend the remainder of the school year focusing on instructional shifts and data conversations.

“I’m thrilled with the progress we’ve seen at Central so far this year, and eager to see those improvements continue in the future,” Prado said. “Just as we strive for consistency each and every day within our school, I firmly believe that consistency among our leadership team will be extremely important as we work to not only maintain the progress we’ve made, but to improve the educational experience for students and families in years to come.”

Prado was hired as D124’s curriculum director at the start of the 2012-13 school year. During her tenure, she has facilitated review of the district math, English language arts, science, and social sciences curricula.

Prior to coming to Evergreen Park, Prado worked as an assistant principal, intervention coordinator, and second-grade teacher. She holds masters’ degrees in educational administration and curriculum and instruction, and a master’s and bachelor’s degree in education from Governors State University.