Neighbors in the News: Libertyville District 70 names three new administrators

• Three new administrators will join the Libertyville School District 70 team on July 1: Adler Park Principal Kerri Bongle was promoted to director of Growth and Talent; and joining the district are Pete Theis as director of Human Resources and Chris Vipond as director of Technology.

Bongle, who is stepping into a new position, has been with District 70 for more than 20 years. She started as a Copeland third grade teacher in 2001, and then moved to fifth grade in 2010. She was promoted to Highland Middle School assistant principal in 2011, and then moved to Adler Park as principal in 2013.

As director of Growth and Talent, Bongle will collaborate with both the departments of curriculum and human resources to develop staff professional development and recruitment; work with data and data analysis to drive human capital decisions; work with the flow of registration between the registrar and schools; and support student growth.

Theis, currently the director of Human Resources for Lake Forest School Districts 67 and 115, will replace District 70 Director of Human Resource Tom Bean, who is retiring after 39 years.

Theis has worked in Lake Forest since 2020. For the previous seven years, he was the assistant superintendent for Human Resources for Downers Grove District 99. He also served as the associate principal for Curriculum and Instruction in District 99, was dean of students for Glenbard East High School, and worked as a middle school principal, high school dean of students and social studies teacher in Plano Community School District 88.

Vipond returns to District 70 after serving two years as the director of Technology with Community Consolidated School District 46 in Grayslake. He will replace District 70 Director of Technology Dmitry Andrievsky, who has taken a position with another school district.

Before moving into administration, Vipond was a technology literacy coach in District 70 for six years. He also taught for four years in Waukegan Community Unit District 60 as a physical education instructor and also worked for two years as an Internal Behavior Coach for the city of Waukegan.

•

Alexandra Hoffman has joined Saint Viator High School as coach for the school's cheerleading program.

Hoffman, who previously served as the assistant coach for both junior varsity and varsity teams at Loyola Academy, has also been a member of the Incredibulls, the Chicago Bulls cheerleading squad.

Hoffman graduated cum laude from Northwestern University, where she was also captain of the cheerleading team. During her time as a student-athlete, Hoffman interned for the United States Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, where she worked on forensic interviews with the youth.

During her time in high school, Hoffman was selected as a member of the All-American Cheerleading Team that represented the United States in London, England.

"Saint Viator provides me with a great opportunity to pursue my passion in a very supportive and accomplished community," Hoffman said. "I look forward to building a team of dedicated individuals that will be successful in competition, in building school spirit, and in representing the Viator Way in all we do."

•

Synergy Adaptive Sports (SAA) athlete Nellie Meinhardt, 14, of Bartlett was named the 2022 Ann Southworth Award recipient.

The award, chosen by SAA and the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association, is intended for an individual ages 8-16 with a disability who lives their life not afraid to go anywhere, try anything and not be mentally limited by their disability. The recipient should embody the spirit with which Ann Southworth lived her life. The award also comes with a stipend from Ann's sister, Sandy Southworth.

Nellie was selected because she is the epitome of a happy, high-spirited, young athlete who enjoys having a fun time while competing in her sport - wheelchair basketball. Nellie has been playing wheelchair basketball for seven years. She started on the prep team when she was 7 years old and has since moved onto the varsity team. She brings her unique energy to all she does, both on and off the court.

• Submit 'Neighbors in the News' items to ntwohey@dailyherald.com.