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Outgoing Glenbard East principal recounts memories, goals

Principal Josh Chambers has a lot of reasons he is proud of Glenbard East High School.

He's proud of the fact that during his time at the school, students have gone on to study at the nation's most prestigious universities like Harvard and MIT. He's proud of the school's booster club and can't say enough about East's committed teachers.

"I think that I'm most proud that the climate in our building and the way people feel about Glenbard East has really been very positive," Chambers said.

Chambers, who has been the Lombard school's principal since 2008, soon will be leaving that post to become the district's assistant superintendent for human resources. The move is effective July 1, with Chambers replacing Rod Molek.

District spokeswoman Peg Mannion said the district hopes to bring a recommendation for Chambers's successor to the school board this month.

In his new position, Chambers said he will be supporting the district's four high schools with personnel matters and working with policy.

"I loved being here at Glenbard East," Chambers said. "It's been a wonderful seven years, but I really felt that this was a next step in my career and it gives me an opportunity to support all four buildings to make sure that principals, assistant principals, teachers have the kinds of supports they need to be successful with the students they have in the classroom."

Prior to coming to Glenbard High School District 87, Chambers was an assistant principal, dean and teacher at Community High School in West Chicago. Before that, he taught social studies and helped struggling readers at Lawndale Elementary Community Academy in Chicago.

He earned his bachelor's degree from Princeton University and his master's from Concordia University. He also completed certification in educational leadership at Aurora University.

Before beginning a career in education, Chambers worked in business. When he wanted a change, he remembered his mother, who dedicated her life to education.

"The one thing I realized was that my mom was a lifelong elementary schoolteacher. She loved her job. She loved it every day of her life," Chambers said. "And I just decided that that's what I wanted to do."

He took advantage of a Chicago program that moved people from the business world into education, and he's never looked back.

"I've never regretted that decision a single day of my life," he said.

Chambers said that besides the community support, another of Glenbard East's strengths is the diversity of its students.

While at graduation practice during his first year at East, Chambers remembers seeing two boys speak to one another in Polish and nearby, another group speaking Gujarati.

"I remember thinking to myself, 'This is amazing.' This is a microcosm of what our world is becoming, where people from all walks of life, both from the nations they come from and from their socioeconomic status, all coming together in the same place and all working toward the same things," Chambers said.

For Chambers, some of his favorite memories during his time at Glenbard East come from an end-of-the-year tradition: the annual cookout for the seniors, with one of the event's features being a dunk tank. The tank gives students the chance to test their aim at dunking Chambers.

"It's just a lot of fun," he said. "It's always really good-natured. The kids have a good time.

"And then three days later, we have graduation, and that's always a very positive but very sentimental time because we spent four years with these kids and now they're moving on to the next step in their life."

In his new position, Chambers said he is looking forward to making District 87 a "destination district" for teachers and administrators.

Although he said he will miss the daily interaction with students, he's excited for a new chance to help them.

"I'm also looking forward to making sure that every student who comes to Glenbard has the opportunity to have both the academic and extracurricular experiences that they want and they deserve."

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