Welcome New Staff!

I am proud to introduce these fine new educators who will be starting at South Park this year.  Actually, they wanted to introduce themselves!!  Please join me in welcoming them to South Park.

Kori Kelly – Kindergarten

Hi there! I’m Kori Kelly, and I am a new kindergarten teacher at South Park. Upon graduating from Indiana University in 2013, I had the privilege of working as a paraprofessional and then as a 4th grade teacher. I am beyond excited to teach kindergarten in this incredible district and can not wait to meet my new class! When I’m not at school, you can find me teaching dance to children of all ages. I look forward to working with the amazing staff, supportive families, and smiling students at South Park!

Jessica Morehead – First Grade

Hello! My name is Jessica Morehead. This school year I look forward to joining the South Park team and the opportunity to work with the wonderful community I grew up in. I received my Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education and Special Education from the University of Northern Iowa. I come to South Park with teaching experiences at various schools in Chicago. I have loved the opportunities to teach in multiple grades but I know my heart belongs in first grade. I look forward to meeting each of my students and their families in the next few weeks!

Nicole Marak – Third Grade

Hello, my name is Nicole Marak, and I am happy to be joining the third grade team at South Park!  In May, I graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in elementary education.  My student teaching experience took place in Wheeling, District 21, in a second grade classroom.  I was fortunate enough to take part in a year long student teaching program.  This past summer, I taught 7th grade language arts in Wheeling.  I am very excited to become a member of the South Park family.  I look forward to a year filled with lots of fun and learning.  I can’t wait to get to know all of my students and their families!

Alison Alves – School Psychologist

Hello South Park community! I am Alison Alves, the new School Psychologist joining the South Park Team. I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary and Special Education from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia before going on to teach English Language Learners and Special Education in Massachusetts. I moved to Chicago in 2010 to earn my doctorate in School Psychology from Loyola University, Chicago. I look forward to collaborating with this special team to support our students- cheers to a great year ahead!

Jenise Sterling – Helping Hands Pre-school

Hello, my name is Jenise Sterling and I’m excited to introduce myself as the new Helping Hands Preschool Teacher! I have my Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Indiana University and I am currently working on my Master’s. This will be my first year as a classroom teacher in District 109 Helping Hands Preschool program, but I was a teaching assistant under Kat Armstrong, and I have spent the past two years teaching preschool for Carpentersville District 300. I am very excited to come back to District 109 and work with the amazing South Park Elementary Staff!  I look forward to creating a working partnership with families and a sense of community in the classroom while providing meaningful activities that my students can apply to real world situations. I believe in creating a classroom community based on empathy, kindness, and respect and I’m excited to support my students both as learners and citizens of the world.

How Fast the Years Have Flown By

In early June, my younger daughter graduated from high school.  Aside from my pride as a father of two high school graduates, both of whom are either starting or continuing college later this month, I was struck by another thought:  We no longer have a child in our local public school system.  After 16 years with kids in school, we no longer have open houses, conferences, concerts, ice cream socials, BINGO and family game nights, and the myriad of other events that parents with school-aged children attend year after year.  These are bittersweet thoughts, for sure.

After coming to terms with the fact that this also means that I am old, I started to reflect on all of the experiences my kids had in school.  My reflections may be slightly different than some other parents in the same situation because I can reflect through two distinctly different lenses: one as a father and one as a principal.  Here are my “take-aways” from our experiences watching our kids proceed through the system.

My girls had many different teachers between their kindergarten and senior year of high school.  Some were amazing and a few were mediocre. This includes all of the self-contained elementary teachers and the more content-centered middle and high school teachers.  This also includes all of the specials teachers and a few special education teachers.

Upon reflection, here is what I learned during the last 16 years.

The very best teachers brought out the very best in my kids.  There is no doubt about that.

• Over the course of the years, they each experienced some of the very best instruction possible – but not every year (see the next point).
• The girls learned in spite of the few mediocre teachers they had over the years.  Why?  Because we helped them persevere through the nine months in the classroom.  We helped them understand that they had to take a certain amount of responsibility for their learning and successes, regardless of the circumstances of the classroom environment or the teacher’s instructional practices. No doubt they are better prepared for college and the world of work because of the variety of adults they had to deal with.
• The girls were placed in classes with and without their closest friends over the years, and they actually did better socially and academically in classes without their very best friends. They were forced to come out of their shells and make new and different friends.  In addition, they were not as distracted as they would have been with their BFFs in class.
• There were times that both girls experienced failure and disappointment.  But, they made it through these times, and they are stronger and much more resilient now because of these experiences (what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger, right?).
• There were times that both girls felt the pain of teasing, exclusion, and “girl drama.” In some cases, this was quite severe, which was heartbreaking for my wife and me to watch.  I also admit that there were times when they each doled out some not-so-nice comments and actions to others.  But, I believe the girls are more sensitive, caring people now because of these experiences.
• Did we fight with them about homework, studying, watching too much TV, eating right, going to bed, playing video games, and all the rest?  You bet we did.  Did we survive?  Absolutely!  Were the teachers and staff members on our side all along the way to guide us through the tough times?  Yep, and I truly appreciate that.

Yes, the years our kids go to school are stressful for us parents, and I can’t possibly explain how fast they have flown by.  But as I look back, I wouldn’t trade any of it.  I am very thankful to all of the adults in all three schools who were there to mentor, teach, encourage, assist, praise, and even scold my girls’ (hopefully not too many times!) throughout their journey.