Prospect Principal Set To Retire

Every single morning Principal Anne Kryger tries to get smiles from each of “the 400 little faces” who walk in the door at the Clarendon Hills elementary school.

“If I can’t do that, I feel like it’s not a good day,” said the veteran educator who will retire at the end of the current school year after spending over 30 years in the field, the last 12 as Principal at Prospect.

“These kids love coming to school and I love seeing them. I will miss that,” Mrs. Kryger said. “And I will miss the parents. We have lots of great, supportive parents. That, for sure, is different from many other school districts. You don’t usually see that.”

A special education teacher by choice, Mrs. Kryger is finishing her third stint with School District 181. After starting her career initially as an aide and then as a BD/ED teacher in a self-contained classroom in the South Berwyn School District, she filled a one-year maternity leave position as a cross categorical teacher at the old Prospect School.

From there she worked as a teacher in a self-contained classroom at McClure Junior High in Western Springs and a Resource Specialist in Lyons School District 103, before returning to D181 for several years first as a K-8 Pupil Personnel Services Administration and later as Interim Principal at Madison Elementary School.

Desiring a full-time administrator’s position, Mrs. Kryger headed to Naperville School District 204 where she spent eight years as an assistant principal at two schools and ultimately Principal of Owen Elementary School. Twelve years ago she returned to Prospect, closing a three-decade loop.

“It’s been a fun journey and I have loved every single minute of it,” she said. “We’ve got some travel plans on the radar. It’ll be nice because I can travel when I want to, not just two weeks in July.”

But as she travels, you can rest assured Mrs. Kryger will miss seeing those 400 little faces.

“School is a great place,” she said. “I love my job.”