Assistant principal to leave Addison Trail

Lake Park High School District 108 has hired a new principal.

Janet M. Constien, who is presently an assistant principal at Addison Trail High School, will take over at Lake Park beginning July 1.

"I'm genuinely thrilled for this new opportunity," Constien said on Tuesday. "And I'm looking forward to this new chapter."

Lake Park school officials hired Constien on Monday. She will begin at a base salary of $136,500 a year.

Constien, who has worked for DuPage High School District 88 in various capacities since 1990, will replace one of the district's two current principals.

Lake Park West Principal Martin Quinn and Lake Park East Principal Edward Wardzala both plan to retire at the end of this school year. It hasn't been decided which campus Constien will inherit. Lake Park officials are still looking to hire another principal.

"We are losing two strong leaders," school board President Barb Layer said. "So it's important to get someone with a lot of background in education to fill those big shoes."

Layer said Constien's experience, especially with curriculum development, will be a major asset to the district.

Constien, who lives in Carol Stream with her husband, Bill, has been an assistant principal at Addison Trail since 2005 and at Willowbrook High School for about two years prior to that.

During her career with District 88, she has served as a classroom teacher and an English department chair.

Constien has a master's degree in educational administration from Northern Illinois University and a bachelor's in English with a minor in Spanish from Northern Illinois.

She has two daughters, Karen, a first-grade teacher at Westview Elementary School in Wood Dale, and Julie, a veterinarian in Zionsville, Ind.

Her son-in-law is Ryan Diem, an offensive tackle with the Indianapolis Colts. Her other son-in-law, Ethan Karolczak, is a teacher and coach at Lane Tech High School.