District 54 appoints six new assistant principals

The District 54 School Board appointed six new assistant principals at its meeting on March 16:

• Ed Garza at Mead Junior High School,

• C.J. Schmid at Frost Junior High School,

• Colleen Conway at Campanelli and Fox elementary schools,

• Bob Wroblewski at Dirksen and Dooley elementary schools,

• Sonia Esquivel at Enders-Salk and MacArthur elementary schools and

• Carrie Azab at Hanover Highlands Elementary School.

Ed Garza

Ed will replace Kim Phelan who will become the assistant principal at Addams. Current Addams assistant principal Tom Barbini was appointed as the principal at Keller Junior High School.

Ed is currently an associate principal and athletic director at Heineman Middle School in Algonquin. Previously he worked as an elementary school assistant principal for three years and as an elementary school teacher for five years.

"I look forward to bringing my experiences as a teacher and administrator to District 54, as well as growing professionally within the district. My goal is to fulfill my responsibility of ensuring student success, and to have fun through the process," he said. "I look forward to meeting the staff, students, and families at Mead in the coming months. I know that Mead is a high performing school, and I look forward to the opportunity to continue that success and achievement."

Ed has a bachelor's degree in special education from Wayne State University and a master's degree in education leadership from American College of Education.

C.J. Schmid

C.J. currently serves as dean of students at West Aurora High School. Prior to that, he taught English and speech at Waubonsie Valley High School for seven years.

"I am extremely honored by this opportunity and committed to serving the District 54 and Frost community," he said.

C.J. has a bachelor's degree in communication studies teacher education from Illinois State University and a master's degree in educational leadership from University of St. Francis.

Colleen Conway

Colleen is currently a literacy coach at Neil Armstrong Elementary School in District 54, where she had previously taught at the primary level for six years.

Prior to that Colleen worked for six months at Dirksen Elementary as a long-term substitute at Dirksen Elementary for four months at Eisenhower Junior High providing seventh and eighth grade language arts and intervention support.

"I've been lucky enough to spend my entire career in District 54," Colleen said. "When I reflect on the many experiences I've had in District 54, I realize the commonality is strong leadership. I'm so appreciative of the unwavering support and encouragement I've had from many leaders here in District 54. This is the type of meaningful leadership I'll provide as assistant principal at Fox and Campanelli."

Colleen has a bachelor's degree in education from Illinois State University and a master's degree in educational leadership from Roosevelt University.

Bob Wroblewski

Bob has been a P.E. teacher at Churchill Elementary School in District 54 since 2011. Prior to that he worked as a general manager at Wolf Creek Corporation in Hoffman Estates for nine years and served in the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division for six years.

"District 54 is close to my heart. As an alumni, community member and teacher, this district is my home. I am honored to have the opportunity to work at Dirksen and Dooley next year as the assistant principal," he said. "I look forward to bringing the leadership traits that I gained from the military and private sector to my new position."

Bob has a bachelor's degree in education from Northern Illinois University and a master's degree in education from Lamar University.

Sonia Esquivel

Sonia has been an English Language/dual instructional coach for District 54 since 2015. Prior to that Sonia worked at MacArthur Elementary School for four years, as a fourth-grade dual language teacher and as a math and literacy acceleration teacher. Sonia served as interim assistant principal at Enders-Salk for three months this school year covering a maternity leave. She has also worked as a third-grade bilingual teacher and as a bilingual lead teacher.

"I consider myself truly fortunate to work in this district. Working with such wonderful students, such dedicated families and such extraordinary leaders has been a tremendous gift. I am excited to continue my journey in District 54 in this new role," she said. "I am incredibly grateful to the communities of MacArthur and Enders-Salk for welcoming me and for giving me the opportunity to serve as their assistant principal. I know it is a privilege to do this work, and I will do my best to serve both communities well."

Sonia has a bachelor's degree in elementary/bilingual education from Northeastern Illinois University and a master's degree in science education from DePaul University.

Carrie Azab

Carrie has worked at Nerge School in District 54 since 2010, as a classroom teacher for four years and then as a special services teacher. Carrie also held a director of special education internship for the District 54 Extended School Year program in the summer of 2015.

"I am honored and humbled to receive the opportunity to serve as Assistant Principal at Hanover Highlands. I have always felt a great sense of pride in being part of the District 54 community, and feel fortunate to have started my teaching career in District 54," she said. "Our District's dedication and focus on nurturing the whole child has inspired me to continuously learn and grow in order to best serve our students and their families. I am thankful for the leadership and learning opportunities that the District has provided me, as these opportunities have shaped me into the educator that I am today."

Carrie has a bachelor's degree in special education from Illinois State University and a master's degree in literacy education from Northern Illinois University.

Carrie will replace Amy Houlihan who will be the assistant principal at Eisenhower Junior High School.