New Principal Selected To Helm District 304's Western Avenue School

GENEVA, IL — Beginning in the next school year, Western Avenue School will have a new principal, Geneva School District 304 officials announced Tuesday.

Casey O'Connell will take over the top spot as current Principal Ron Zeman retires at the end of the school year, 15 years after he started with the school district.

As Western Avenue School's new principal, O'Connell said he will encourage parents and community members to be active with Geneva schools by attending events. He plans to work closely with the school's Parent Teacher Organization.

The educator joins District 304 after serving the Oswego Community Unit School District 308 since 2002. He started at the district in 2002 as a teacher and has been the principal of Homestead Elementary School since 2017. Before that, he worked as the assistant principal at Churchill Elementary School for six years.

"I come from a family of teachers," he said in a statement. "In my immediate family alone, my dad is a retired teacher, and my two sisters and brothers are teachers. To say it is in our blood is an understatement."

During his career, O'Connell received several awards, including the 2016 Employee of the Year from District 304, the 2011 Illinois State Board of Education's Those Who Excel Award of Excellence and the 2009 ISBE Those Who Excel Award of Recognition.

The principal has a bachelor's degree in elementary education from the University of Iowa and a master's degree in educational administration from Concordia University.