Principal Shake-Ups Mean New Faces At Lakeview Schools

LAKEVIEW — In some neighborhood schools, something old is technically new again.

Melizabeth Santos spent four years teaching social studies at Lake View High School before leaving to get her master's degree and working at Inter-American Magnet School.

But Santos returned to Lake View, 4015 N. Ashland Ave., last week as the school's new director of community and student affairs — one of many changes at Lakeview's nine public schools.

As she settles into her new role, Santos said she better understands the transition students make from eighth grade into high school — a vital bit of knowledge for her work at Lake View.

Working at an elementary school "really gave me a different perspective on a continuum," Santos said. "But in the end, it's all for the same purpose — we love to build the love of knowledge and learning in kids, and it doesn't really matter at what age you do that."

Santos won't be the only new face greeting Lake View students Tuesday; Interim Principal Paul Karafiol was appointed in June following the abrupt departure of former Principal Scott Grens.

In fact, half of Lakeview's schools have new people in charge — although some are familiar faces.

Here's a run-down of what's new at your school:

• Blaine Elementary, 1420 W. Grace St.: While assistant principals Gary Norcross and Angela Brito have been part of the Blaine community for years, they've stepped up together to serve as interim principals following the departure of Troy LaRaviere. Despite budget cuts, Blaine was happy to report that there would be no change in class sizes, number of homerooms or special teachers at the school. The school does have a new dress code, with changes relating to leggings and the length of shorts, dresses and skirts.

• Burley Elementary, 1630 W. Barry Ave.: While Burley still has Principal Catherine Plocher at the helm, it does have some pretty rad new school T-shirts and gear:

 

Check out the new @BurleySchool gear! You can pick yours up at Early Bird Day this Thurs Sept 1 at the PTA table. pic.twitter.com/pe81uzWoff

— Catherine Plocher (@MsPlocher) August 27, 2016

• Greeley Elementary, 832 W. Sheridan Road: Greeley had quite a few big changes over the summer, with the appointment of Raquel Gonzalez as principal and Sonia Ramos as assistant principal. Ramos has been at Greeley for 15 years and said the work "keeps me young and heart and inspires me to continue learning and challenging myself."

• Hamilton Elementary, 1650 W. Cornelia Ave.: Kids are sure to appreciate the news that recess is 10 minutes longer at Hamilton this year, giving them 30 minutes of physical education, 30 minutes of recess and 10 minutes of in-class physical activity each day. A new maker lab is expected to open in the fall, giving students access to high-tech building tools like 3D printers.

• Hawthorne Scholastic Academy, 3319 N. Clifton Ave.: While things are mostly the same at Hawthorne, Principal Nate Pietrini has paired up with Hamilton Principal James Gray to launch a new podcast called "The Ed Couple." Listen here.

• Inter-American Magnet School, 851 W. Waveland Ave.: After serving as interim principal following the departure of Diego Giraldo, former assistant principal Daniela Bylaitis is starting the school year off as the new head of Inter-American.

• The Nettelhorst School, 3252 N. Broadway: It's the first year with Principal Yasmeen Muhammad starting off as head of Nettelhorst in a permanent capacity. After filling the role in an interim capacity and serving as resident principal, Muhammad accepted the offer to be the permanent principal in March. The school also raised student fees to $200 per child, capping them at $500 per family, in an effort to cover the 7 percent gap in funding.

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