Waubonsie picks new principal from Arizona

Waubonsie Valley High School's principal vacancy was one of three jobs Kristine Marchiando applied for.

It was also the one she wanted most.

Indian Prairie Unit District 204 officials introduced Marchiando Thursday afternoon as Waubonsie's new leader, effective July 1.

She will replace Jim Schmid, who will leave his post at the end of the school year to serve as the new principal for Metea Valley High School, which is slated to open in fall 2009.

Since 1989, Marchiando has served as a high school administrator in Chandler, Ariz.

In 1998, she opened the district's Hamilton High School as an assistant principal for curriculum and programming. Five years later, she was promoted to principal and opened the 2,700-student Basha High School.

Coming from a two-high school district with 20,000 students, Marchiando said she'll feel right at home with the size of Waubonsie.

"My philosophy is that every student should have an equal opportunity to be challenged to learn. Every student has the right to be successful and every teacher is responsible to facilitate that success," she said. "That's easy to say and difficult to achieve, but you do it by getting to know every single student.

"It's a lot easier to do that once you get 30 students in a classroom."

Superintendent Stephen Daeschner praised her background in large schools.

"Kristine is a very skilled principal who not only has a strong familiarity with large high schools, but also possesses great wisdom and a successful track record in academic achievement," he said.

Pete Beskid has worked with Marchiando as an assistant principal since 1998. He is currently an assistant principal at Basha and said Waubonsie is destined for greatness under her guidance.

"When we opened Basha together, she chose the school motto, 'Expect Success,'" he said. "That's all you need to know about her. She is a problem solver and she make programs work to ensure all students can learn."

Moving back to Illinois, where she began her teaching career in Stillman Valley in 1979, Marchiando is also solving a problem that has plagued her for the past year.

"My two daughters and 1-year-old grandchild live in Batavia and Naperville and we've been away from them for too long," she said. "My husband's family is also from here."

But what about the Midwest winters and leaving the year-round golfing weather in Arizona?

"Some things are worth putting up with to be with family," she said. "And Waubonsie Valley is now my second family."