D113 Appoints HPHS Interim Principal, Inclusion Coordinator

From Township High School District 113: Township High School District 113 is pleased to announce that during a Special Meeting on July 30, 2018, the Board of Education approved the hiring of Deborah Finn as the Highland Park High School Interim Principal and Mirah Anti as the district-wide Coordinator of Equity & Inclusion. Ms. Debby Finn has served as the Math Department Chair at Highland Park High School since 2008. She joined the District in 1996 and has previously served as the Math Lab Supervisor at Highland Park High School, a math teacher at Deerfield High School, and a co-principal of the District 113 Summer School program. She has been heavily involved as a committee leader, staff representative, and student activities sponsor throughout her tenure at District 113. Ms. Finn's extracurricular involvement includes the New Teacher Program, Faculty Advisory Committee, District Advisory Committee, Grand Times Intergenerational Program, District 113 Education Foundation, Referendum Committee, and STEAM Committee. She has also served as a liaison for Working Together, a community program that provides families of Highwood and Highland Park with access to cultural and recreational activities. Ms. Finn's demonstrated leadership, experience serving in a multitude of school and District roles, and commitment to the District 113 students, staff, and community make her an excellent candidate for this role and will be of great benefit to Highland Park High School during this transition year.

"HPHS is a community of dedicated and accomplished staff, curious and connected students, and supportive and engaged families. I have always been proud to serve Highland Park High School, never more so than I am right now," Ms. Finn stated. "I am looking forward to a positive and productive school year. Go Giants!" Ms. Mirah Anti first joined the District 113 family in 1994, serving as a social studies teacher at Deerfield and Highland Park High Schools and co-sponsor of Creating Awareness Towards Reaching Equality (CARE) and Urban Excursion. Prior to returning to District 113 in 2009 as a social studies teacher at Highland Park High School, a role in which she currently serves, Ms. Anti held leadership roles dedicated to evaluating equity programs, designing cultural competency workshops and curricula, and developing positive learning environments for students and staff. Her experience with equity work includes serving as an Assistant Evaluation Director for the Minority Student Achievement Network (MSAN), Diversity Coordinator at New Trier High School, and District 113 Equity Team member. District 113 is committed to developing the potential of all students and offering supports to help realize this potential. The redefinition of the Coordinator of Equity & Inclusion position and the selection of Ms. Mirah Anti to lead these efforts aligns with District 113's mission to provide each and every student with a high quality education in a safe, positive, and supportive environment. "We are thankful for the time our stakeholders have dedicated to the Interim Principal selection process, and most importantly, for the input they have provided. Ms. Finn's leadership at both the school and district level, in addition to her extensive involvement with the Highland Park community, made her a clear front-runner for the position," Interim Superintendents Dr. Linda Yonke and Dr. Ben Martindale stated. "Her knowledge of the students, staff, families, and community will facilitate a seamless transition in leadership at Highland Park High School and continued excellence in our academic and extracurricular programs." Regarding the hiring of Ms. Anti, Dr. Yonke and Dr. Martindale stated: "We are excited to welcome Ms. Anti into this new role as Coordinator of Equity & Inclusion. Supporting all students is the primary focus of our work in District 113.

By creating a full time, district-wide position, we can identify ways in which we can improve our current curricula and programs and increase student achievement across all subgroups. We want to ensure all learners are supported and afforded the best opportunities we can offer."

Images via Township High School District 113