Jola Dziatkowiec Named Principal at Oak Ridge School

For Jola Dziatkowiec, it’s a homecoming of sorts.

After serving as principal at Dorn School in Hickory Hills, Ms. Dziatkowiec was named principal at Oak Ridge School in Palos Hills. She starts July 1.

Prior to serving as principal at Dorn, Jola spent three years as an English Language team leader at Oak Ridge.

“I’m excited to be coming back and seeing familiar faces as well as meeting new team members,” she said.

Ms. Dziatkowiec said a couple of things she learned as principal at Dorn School that will help her lead Oak Ridge are the importance of team-building and collaboration.

“I was lucky to witness such strong relationships and teamwork at Dorn. I know Oak Ridge has such a great staff and I am really looking forward to working along side the teams.”

Jola was born in Poland and immigrated to the United States with her family when she was seven. The third of four children (two boys and two girls) born to loving parents who raised their family on Chicago’s Southwest Side, she began learning English Language (EL) in third grade while attending Chicago Public Schools.

Ms. Dziatkowiec said her parents stressed the importance of learning English at a young age. She said her parents wanted their children to learn English so they would be successful in life.

Jola graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Chicago and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from St. Xavier University and her Masters’ Degree in a Specialized Endorsement that encompasses LBS1 and ESL from National Louis University in Chicago.

She also passed her Polish Bilingual Test that allows her to use her native language in instruction. Ms. Dziatkowiec also received her Masters’ Degree in Educational Leadership.

Coming from a second language learner perspective “One of the many things I love about D117 is its diverse culture and all the programs and opportunities students have here to be successful,” she said.

As an EL Team Leader at Oak Ridge School Jola was responsible for making sure the curriculum met the diverse needs of all learners and that accommodations - if needed - were provided for the district’s EL learners to succeed in General Education classrooms.

Ms. Dziatkowiec helped create interventions for English Learners in a framework to meet their diverse needs.

She said she feels honored to serve as the next Oak Ridge principal and support all staff and students to achieve at high levels.