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Two Lake View High School Admins Depart Two Weeks Before School Starts

By Ariel Cheung | August 23, 2016 3:55pm | Updated on August 23, 2016 5:04pm
 Students arrive at Lake View High School, 4015 N. Ashland Ave. on the first day of the 2015-16 school year.
Students arrive at Lake View High School, 4015 N. Ashland Ave. on the first day of the 2015-16 school year.
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DNAinfo/Ariel Cheung

LAKEVIEW — Two top administrators have left Lake View High School, just weeks before classes are set to resume.

Assistant Principal and STEM Director Angela Newton will head to Disney II Magnet School in Irving Park. Her last day at Lake View High School is Friday, after which she'll transition to her new work as assistant principal at Disney II.

Newton was an assistant principal at the STEM school for two years after teaching science for five years, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Former athletic director Brett Bildstein, meanwhile, was appointed as the athletic director for suburban Niles North High School earlier this month.

Bildstein began at Lake View as an English teacher and baseball coach in 2007 before moving up the ranks to lead the athletic operations and serve as community director.

"Obviously, we're sorry to see great people go," said interim Principal Paul Karafiol. "But I would say No. 1, we're really excited they've both been offered exciting and different opportunities than they had here at Lake View."

The school is already interviewing candidates to replace the outgoing administrators, and Karafiol said he feels "very fortunate that a lot of people are excited about Lake View."

Both positions have been listed on the CPS careers website. Currently, the school is also searching for six teachers.

While it's hard to see talented educators leave, "it says a lot about Lake View that we are a place where people go and grow, and then they're ready for these next steps," Karafiol said.

The staff changes come two months after Scott Grens vacated his principalship at Lake View to work as principal at Rutledge Hall Elementary School in Lincolnwood.

The move left district officials scrambling for a replacement in time to deal with critical budget decisions before the new fiscal year began July 1.

At the time, the school's three assistant principals indicated interest in the school's top job, but are ineligible to serve as interim principals until October.

Assistant principals Meghan Sovell and Toney Vast-Binder are still listed as administrators on the LVHS website.

Classes begin Sept. 6. Student orientation is underway this week, with incoming freshmen recently meeting with student ambassadors while their parents met with faculty. 

"It says a lot about our kids — they step up, and that's wonderful," Karafiol said.

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