See Video: Hinsdale Principal Leaving

HINSDALE, IL — The guitar-playing principal at Hinsdale's Monroe School is leaving to become principal at Timothy Christian school in Elmhurst. At Monroe, Principal Justin Horne was credited with being instrumental in developing the school's Movement Lab. He will start his new job July 1.

District 181 released a video this week in honor of Horne's service. A number of people recalled moments working with him.

"One of my favorites memories of you was when I was a substitute teacher and you were a teacher at The Lane, and you played the guitar for the kids. I'll never forget that," said Jean Duggan, who works in administration.

Mike Duggan, the district's director of facilities, said he remembered when a power outage, a storm and dismissal happened all at once. "You were calmly playing your guitar for the kids in the classrooms," he said.

In a sign of the times, nine of Horne's colleagues seemingly passed around a "We Will Miss You" sign while appearing on video in a Zoom-like grid.

Horne has worked for District 181 for 16 years and as principal of Monroe for seven. During his tenure at Monroe, it was named a Blue Ribbon School (2016) and a Green Ribbon School (2018).

"While I was not looking for professional opportunities outside of District 181, I couldn't pass up the offer to explore the possibility of becoming the next principal at Timothy Christian," Horne said in a statement in February.

In 2018, Horne's salary was $118,000, according to the most recent information available from OpenTheBooks.com.