Incoming NPD117 Superintendent Earns Doctoral Degree

Christine Droba recently came across a fifth-grade writing assignment where she wrote about wanting to be a teacher. “I remember playing school when I was a young child and pretending to be a teacher. As I continued my education, I was lucky to have so many great teachers who inspired me to achieve my goals.”

Now Christine is the one doing the inspiring. She recently defended her doctoral dissertation to officially become Dr. Christine Droba, Ed.D. Earlier this year she was named the new Superintendent in North Palos School District 117 beginning July 1. She will take over for Dr. Jeannie Stachowiak who retires on June 30 after 21 years in the district and the last 13 as its Superintendent.

Christine currently serves as the district’s Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning.

She graduates next week from the University of St. Francis in Joliet where her doctoral dissertation was entitled: “The Effects of Departmentalization in the Elementary School Setting.”

Growing up in Evergreen Park with her parents and older brother, Christine was a dedicated athlete. She played competitive volleyball and softball, as well as playing on the school teams at Mother McAuley High School in Chicago where she also was the class valedictorian.

After graduating high school, Christine took her multiple talents to Nashville, Tenn., and enrolled at Vanderbilt University on an academic scholarship.

She said she selected Vanderbilt after a process that had her apply to five schools: one in the top 10 in the country; one in the top 20 in the country; one in the top 30 in the country; one in the top 40 in the country and one in the top 50 in the country. Christine visited each of the five schools and selected Vanderbilt based on the fact that it is one of the top education schools in the country.

Christine said she has always been a “curious person” and loves learning new things. “Math was always my favorite subject. I enjoyed trying to solve problems and figure things out.”
She figured out pretty quickly how things worked in college when she double-majored in Elementary Education and Child Studies.

After receiving her bachelor’s degree, Christine worked as an elementary teacher at Oak Ridge Elementary School while earning her Master of Science Degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an English as a Second Language endorsement from Olivet Nazarene University.

Christine continued to earn her Master of Science Degree in Educational Leadership with a Principal Endorsement from Concordia University.

Christine has continued to display a mindset and work ethic that has permeated every facet of her life. “It’s a mentality of putting in the time and effort to accomplish your goals.”

She said she is excited about the team she will continue to work with across the district.
“We have a great staff here and I’m looking forward to continuing the excellent work we are doing while reflecting on ways that we can improve,” Dr. Droba said. “I can’t wait to get started.”

Christine loves spending time with her family, running and playing volleyball.