D-64 Selects Assistant Principal For Joint Carpenter-Franklin Post

The Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 Board of Education at its June 25 meeting confirmed the appointment of Kelly Tess as assistant principal to be shared between Carpenter and Franklin schools.  The new position was approved earlier this spring for the District’s two smaller elementary schools in light of increased demands on the principals as instructional leaders and to prepare for changes in the professional evaluation system of teachers.
 
For the past four years, Tess has been a teacher in West Northfield School District 31 in Northbrook.  Most recently, she was a grade 6 humanities teacher at Field Middle School and previously was a grade 4 teacher at Winkelman Elementary School.  She has taken on a variety of school and district leadership roles, including implementing a new school-wide Safe and Civil Schools behavior initiative and launching a one-to-one instructional program with technology devices assigned to each student.  Tess also taught fourth grade for several years out-of-state, including at an elementary school for military dependents at Fort Rucker, AL.

“Kelly Tess will assist both principals in bringing a vigor and vitality to the schools in her efforts to prepare students for their next steps in learning,” according to Superintendent Philip Bender.  “She understands the need to build and value relationships within the communities at Franklin and Carpenter, including staff, parents and local residents,” he added.  “Her efforts to integrate technology at an advanced level into the day-to-day educational experiences of students also make her an excellent fit for District 64 with our Strategic Plan goal in this area,” Dr. Bender noted.

Tess received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and she holds master’s degrees from DePaul University and Concordia University.

To identify the new assistant principal, a team of administrators conducted initial screening interviews with selected candidates.  Four finalists were then interviewed by a combined group of teachers and administrators, and also met individually with Superintendent Bender.