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School District U-46 Hosts Twelfth Annual ‘Principal for a Day’ Event
Dec. 4, 2019
The state’s second largest school district will once again open school doors and invite community leaders to learn more about the inner workings of running a school during the 12th annual School District U-46 Principal for a Day event on Friday. The event gives more than 60 local leaders an opportunity to see firsthand how principals guide school teams to meet the academic, social, and emotional goals for each student.
Participating guest principals include local leaders representing chambers of commerce, state and local elected officials, police and fire departments, and leaders in the areas of medicine, finance, business and education. The U-46 team welcomes guest principals to return to schools and build long-term partnerships that will support each school’s priorities and goals. Guest principals, for example, might sponsor a school activity, mentor and tutor, host a field trip or provide an internship for a high school student to explore a career of interest.
"Strong public schools enable communities to thrive, and strong community support helps schools and students to thrive," said Tony Sanders, CEO of School District U-46. "While we host one Principal for a Day event each year, we welcome community partnerships and relationships year-round."
Each year the District aims to invite new community leaders to the event; 36 of the 62 guest principals are new to the role this year. Representatives from Side Street Studio Arts and Bartlett Chamber of Commerce are among the new participants.
Side Street Studio Arts offers a program called “Community Moves,” that helps children find their voice through artistic expression. The organization, based in Elgin, also provides on-site after-school programming for our young student artists.
“I am excited to visit with the U-46 school team and students,” said Side Street Studio Arts Executive Director Tanner Melvin. “Together we can help build the foundation for our youth to become well-rounded and responsible citizens.”
Bartlett Area Chamber President Nanette Gudenkauf wants to bring awareness of career opportunities available through local businesses.
“Principal for a Day is the perfect opportunity to form a stronger connection with U-46, which is why I am thrilled to be involved with this event,” said Gudenkauf. “We share a common value of wanting students to succeed.”
To conclude the Principal for a Day event, the guests will convene for a luncheon sponsored by Marco, a leading technology services provider, at Villa Olivia in Bartlett. The featured speaker, Illinois State Board of Education Chair Darren Reisberg, will address state education initiatives during the luncheon. Mr. Reisberg had previously served as the general counsel and deputy superintendent of the ISBE between 2005 and 2012. He is currently the vice president of programs and strategy at the Joyce Foundation, a nonpartisan private foundation that invests in public policies and strategies to advance racial equity and economic mobility for the people in the Great Lakes region.
WHO: Community leaders, U-46 schools.
WHAT: Community leaders will visit schools to serve as a “Principal for a Day.”
WHEN: Friday, Dec. 6.
8 a.m. to noon - Guest principals at U-46 schools.
Noon to 2 p.m. - Luncheon at Villa Olivia, 1401 W. Lake St., Bartlett.
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Available at schools all morning.
Reporters who want to cover or photograph the event, please RSVP with Mary Fergus at MaryFergus@u-46.org.
Below is a chart that outlines which community leaders will serve at which school.
School |
Principal |
Principal for a Day |
Organization |
Principal for a Day |
Organization |
Abbott M.S. |
Kathy Davis |
Anna Lalley |
Elgin Police Department |
|
|
Bartlett Elem. |
John Signatur |
Laura Czarnecki |
Village of Carol Stream |
|
|
Bartlett H.S. |
Mike Demovksy |
Nanette Gudenkauf |
Bartlett Area Chamber of Commerce |
Danny Malouf |
HARTING, Inc. of North America |
Canton M.S. |
Jeffrey Smith |
Eric Pagels |
Streamwood Police Department |
|
|
Centennial Elem. |
Sarah N. Rabe |
Patrick Ullrich |
Bartlett Police Department |
|
|
Central School Programs |
Tracy Morton |
Tameron Keeffe |
Family Service Association of Greater Elgin |
|
|
Century Oaks Elem. |
Dr. Andrea Erickson |
Tish Powell |
City of Elgin |
|
|
Channing Elem. |
Josefina Melendez |
Debra Marton |
Comcast |
|
|
Clinton Elem. |
John Oliver |
Karina Villa |
State Representative 49th House |
|
|
Coleman Elem. |
Brian Stark |
Scott Vanderlee |
Midwest Transit Equipment |
|
|
Creekside Elem. |
Joel Pollack |
Darren Reisberg |
Illinois State Board of Education |
|
|
Dream Academy |
Krystal Bush |
Dr. David Sam |
Elgin Community College |
|
|
Eastview M.S. |
Donald Donner |
William Gabrenya |
Bartlett Fire Department |
|
|
Elgin H.S. |
Krystal J. Thomas |
Dr. Nikki Fennern |
Judson University |
|
|
Ellis M.S. |
Yvette G. Gonzalez- Collins |
Mary Perkins |
Elgin Community College |
|
|
Fox Meadow Elem. |
Sjoukje Brown |
Elisa Lara |
VNA Health Care |
|
|
Garfield Elem. |
Dr. Kyle D. Bunker |
Tanner Melvin |
Side Street Studio Arts |
Melissa Owens |
U-46 Board of Education |
Glenbrook Elem. |
Cheryl DeRoo |
Velma Sept |
U-46 African American Advisory Council |
|
|
Hanover Countryside. |
Harold Shepherd |
Michelle Mussman |
State Representative 56th House |
|
|
Harriet Gifford Elem. |
Joe Corcoran |
Maggie Sifuentes |
Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois |
|
|
Hawk Hollow Elem. |
Noelle Dupuis |
Brandi Ramundo |
Wayne Township |
|
|
Heritage Elem. |
Catherine Fletcher |
Ilir Sako |
Horace Mann |
|
|
Highland Elem. |
Steve Johnson |
Sue Kerr |
U-46 Board of Education |
|
|
Hillcrest Elem. |
Teresa Winters |
Robert Cox |
RCDC Services |
|
|
Hilltop Elem. |
Dr. Kyle VonSchnase |
Angi Cholewa |
Alignment Collaborative for Education |
|
|
Horizon Elem. |
Jennifer Schwardt |
Sharmin Shahjahan |
Village of Hanover Park |
|
|
Huff Elem. |
Dr. Angelica Ernst |
Alex Quigley |
City of Elgin |
|
|
Illinois Park |
Apryl Lowe |
Larry Bury |
U-46 Citizens' Advisory Council |
|
|
Independence |
Lisa Bergbreiter |
Dawn Curran |
U-46 Educational Foundation |
|
|
Kenyon Woods M.S. |
Lisa Olsem |
Kelly Quinn |
Three Fires Council, Boy Scouts of America |
|
|
Kimball M.S. |
Charlotte Coleman |
Rose Martinez |
City of Elgin |
|
|
Larkin H.S. |
Jamie Crosen |
Vince Coyle |
Kane County State's Attorney Office |
|
|
Larsen M.S. |
Gina Crespo |
Tim Sgutt |
|
Eva Porter |
U-46 Board of Education |
Laurel Hill Elem. |
Maria A. Lopez |
Dennis Mondero |
Chinese Mutual Aid Association |
|
|
Liberty Elem. |
Stephanie Sylvester |
Denise Maiz |
Bartlett Fire District |
|
|
Lincoln Elem. |
Abbie Eklund |
Veronica Medrano |
U-46 Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee |
|
|
Lords Park Elem. |
Noe Velazquez |
Carrie Frost |
Anderson Animal Shelter |
|
|
Lowrie Elem. |
Tiffany Robinson |
Emma Eschenfeldt |
Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois |
|
|
McKinley Elem. |
Juan Lira |
Rick Reigner |
The Salvation Army |
|
|
More at Four |
Angela Gallegos |
Amber Peters |
Elgin Partnership for Early Learning |
|
|
Nature Ridge Elem. |
Cyndi S. Aleman |
Diane Pappas |
State Representative 45th House |
|
|
Oakhill Elem. |
Laura Alegria |
Kari Christensen |
Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra |
|
|
Ontarioville Elem. |
Dr. Elizabeth Ma |
Monika Gadek-Stephan |
ECC Education & Work Center in Hanover Park |
|
|
Otter Creek Elem. |
David Aleman |
Heather Weiss |
DUTU |
|
|
Parkwood Elem. |
Ana Arroyo |
Herb Porter |
Village of Hanover Park |
|
|
Prairieview Elem. |
Paul Flatley |
Fiona Cummings |
Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois |
|
|
Ridge Circle Elem. |
Janelle Raine |
Andrea Fox |
Image Design Marketing |
|
|
Ronald D. O'Neal Elem. |
Marcie Marzullo |
Margaret Frisch Klein |
Congregation Kneseth Israel |
|
|
South Elgin H.S. |
Brian Moran |
Kevin Wallace |
Village of Bartlett |
Peter Sikorski |
Get Fresh Produce |
Spring Trail Elem. |
Amy Kendryna |
Stephen Schmidt |
Carol Stream Police Department |
|
|
Streamwood H.S. |
Jennifer Van Deusen |
Dr. Gene Crume |
Judson University |
|
|
Sunnydale Elem. |
Dr. Maria Valdovinos- Bhatia |
Fanny Diego Alvarez |
Grand Victoria Foundation |
|
|
Sycamore Trails Elem. |
Lisa Cardenas |
Victoria Anderson |
Bartlett Police Department |
|
|
Tefft M.S. |
Luis Fernando DeLeon |
Michael Schwartz |
Streamwood Police Department |
|
|
Timber Trails Elem. |
Dr. Elisa Biancalana |
Samantha Allowy |
Lazarus House |
|
|
Washington Elem. |
Lori Brandes |
Joy Pak |
Chinese Mutual Aid Association |
|
|
Wayne Elem. |
Adam Zurko |
Martin McManamon |
Wayne Township Road District |
|
|
Willard Elem. |
Dustin Covarrubias |
Sara Sabo |
Gail Borden Public Library |
|
|