New principal named in Geneva

A Lombard educator will be the new principal at Harrison Street Elementary School in Geneva this fall.

Daniel F. Killeen will take over for DeeDee Slagle, who is retiring at the end of the school year.

Killeen has been an elementary principal and an administrator in Lombard Elementary District 44 for several years. Before that, he was a principal at Lord's Park Elementary in Elgin, served an administrative internship at Prairieview Elementary School in Bartlett, and was a teacher at Horizon Elementary in Hanover Park.

In his first year as Harrison principal, Killeen will face a challenge: He won't actually be in Harrison, which is at 201 N. Harrison St..

The east-side school is due to be remodeled. And because Coultrap Elementary School will be vacant (it's moving into the new Williamsburg Elementary School), the district decided to move Harrison students there for a year, to avoid trying to conduct school in the middle of a construction site. Coultrap is on the west side of Geneva, at 1113 Peyton St.

Killeen starts work July 1.

Slagle has been principal for nine years.

The district is also looking for a principal to replace Heartland Elementary School principal Thomas Watrobka, who is also retiring at the end of the school year. He has been with the district since 1985, serving as principal at Western Avenue, then Mill Creek and Heartland elementary schools.