Oswego East High's Former Dean Appointed Assistant Principal

OSWEGO, IL — Kurt Laakso, a former dean at Oswego East High School, was hired as the new assistant principal of curriculum and instruction at the school, District 308 officials said in a release Thursday.

Laakso served as the dean of students at the high school during the 2020-21 school year and prior to moving to the Oswego school district, he worked as the associate superintendent for human resources at District 214 in Arlington Heights starting in 2012.

"Oswego East is an exemplary high school with talented, hard-working faculty, supportive parents, and engaged students," Laakso said in a statement. "I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve OE in this new capacity as the Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction and am excited to collaborate with our stakeholders in providing a great education to the young men and women of our community."

Laakso was also principal at Prospect High School in Mt. Prospect from 2007 to 2012 and worked as division head of English and fine arts at Elk Grove High School before that.

The administrator got his bachelor's degree in English and American literature and language at Harvard University and his master's of art in teaching in English at Boston College. He also graduated with a master's in education and a certificate of advanced study in administration, planning and social policy from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

"Mr. Laakso brings a wealth of experience, having spent the last 29 years serving students, families and staff in teaching and administrative roles, as well as having worked extensively as an instructional leader," Laura Bankowski, principal at Oswego East, said in a statement. "In the past year as a Dean of Students at Oswego East, he has gone above and beyond in providing leadership through an unprecedented time. Kurt is a welcome addition to the Oswego East staff and will personify the East motto of Exellence, Academics, Spirit, and Tradition in all that he does."

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