Woodridge 68 appoints new junior high associate principal

At the regular meeting held on June 25, 2018, the Woodridge School District 68 Board of Education unanimously appointed Andrew Neidlinger as the new associate principal of Thomas Jefferson Junior High School, effective July 1, 2018.

Andrew joins Woodridge 68 with 16 years of experience in education and comes to the school district from Chelsea School District in Chelsea, Michigan, where he served as Assistant Principal at Chelsea High School. He acted as instructional coach with an emphasis on school culture, environment, and student engagement. With a focus on character education and empowering learners, the question of “What is best for this learner?” is central to his educational belief. He gained additional administrative-level experience as Assistant Principal/Athletic Director for East Jackson Community Schools (Jackson, MI) and Dean of Students at Lake View High School in Chicago Public Schools. Andrew began his career with Charlotte (MI) Public Schools as a social studies teacher and basketball coach.

“I am so excited to welcome Andrew Neidlinger to Jefferson Junior High! His broad educational experience as a teacher, coach, and administrator will be a welcome addition to our administrative team. We are thoroughly impressed with his experience managing and improving student behavior, serving as athletic director, coaching and evaluating staff, and coordinating student assessment,” says Justin Warnke, Principal at Jefferson Junior High. “I am looking forward to leading alongside Andrew next school year and am confident that Andrew will help us continue to move in the right direction.”

Mr. Neidlinger earned a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from American College of Education, and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies and Physical Education from Albion College. Andrew played college basketball and was named Division III First Team All Conference, Second Team All Great Lakes Regional, and Academic All American.

“My family and I are excited to be heading back to the Chicagoland area. I can't wait to get to work with the staff and students at Jefferson Junior High! I'm excited to be part of the innovative practices and helping the students at Jefferson in any way I can,” says Neidlinger.

Andrew is relocating to the western suburbs with his wife, Jessica, and two young children.