Long goodbye for outgoing Dist. 70 chief Friedman
The past week has been a whirlwind of memories and congratulations for Mark Friedman, who on Friday concluded a long run at the helm of Libertyville Elementary District 70.
"Trying to go through 17 years of accumulated things to determine who gets it, what goes home ... it's unbelievable," he said.
Regarded as a hands-on administrator, who would read aloud to students and often showed up in the schools and for after-hours events, Friedman has been credited with guiding the elementary district into the top tier of financial stability and student achievement.
Last week, he signed autographs for hundreds of Copeland Manor students who had a special page in their memory books in his honor.
"It was touching and I didn't even know," said the 62-year-old Friedman, who was named the 2009 Illinois Superintendent of the Year by the Illinois Association of School Administrators.
That honor was in addition to being named Lake County Superintendent in 2008 - the second time he snared that designation from his peers.
The Buffalo Grove resident announced his retirement a year ago in what amounted to a long goodbye capped in recent weeks by various events.
His last school board meeting Monday was emotional at times, according to Laura Beltchenko, the longest-serving member at 20 years. Friedman, who never missed a meeting during his tenure, shared stories about teachers and students he knew through the years.
"He knew the children. He could walk into a classroom and pick them out," she said.
Friedman taught reading in Chicago schools before moving to districts in Itasca and Lincolnwood during his more than 30-year career.
In District 70, he created a technology department to enhance the use of computers and other devices in the classroom, and also established a school-business partnership that has raised and distributed about $100,000 over the past 13 years to teachers for special projects.
Friedman is a partner in a consulting firm that helps school districts locate superintendent candidates, and he intends to stay busy.
"I will be mentoring new superintendents in Lake County and planning superintendent professional development," he said.
He also plans on teaching school and community relations at Benedictine University, which has a campus in Vernon Hills, and will conduct workshops for local and state school entities.
He says he'll still pop up at District 70 functions.
"These folks, this town, they support you," he said. "We've kept taxes low, we've given (students) a heckuva of an education and people respond to that."
District 70 has 2,700 students in five schools. The opening drew national interest but the board stayed local, naming Butterfield School Principal Guy Schumacher to succeed Friedman.