Remember principal for standard he set

I am writing to address a front page article you ran on June 1. Although my background is not anchored in “the power of Google,” please allow me to share a few facts from my four-year experience as a student of Prospect High School during the leadership of Mr. Alvin Kulieke as its principal. I walked the halls and encountered Mr. Kulieke on several occasions. I also recall his influence that encouraged us to expand our horizons and think for ourselves. I cannot recall a moment where he ever used personal religious or political agendas to guide us in misdirection. I do remember him listening to others and encouraging us to consider several perspectives before contemplating judgements.

In a community where not one Black family called “home,” Mr. Kulieke accepted a Black member on his staff and showed us that we could love and accept him. That man’s daughter was the first Black student to walk the halls with us just a few years later. I watched him welcome the sons of the only Jewish family, in Mount Prospect, and provide encouragement for them to succeed in our school, too. In the library, we found subscriptions to Jet and Ebony Magazines, where we found diversity and understanding that our community couldn’t teach us. I read books like, The Chosen, Black Like Me and Yes I Can, because they were freely available in our school library.

Mr. Kulieke and the staff of Prospect High School served us to make us better for what we could be. His name upon the entrance to what we called, “The Little Theatre,” is a reminder of a quiet, respectful and dignified leader that set the standard for The Blue Ribbon School which Prospect has become. I hope the Board of Education takes the time to understand the service of Mr. Kulieke and reflects with gratitude.

Doug Haney

Huntley