GENEVA – District 304 officials hired a principal and assistant principal this week.
The school board approved hiring Shonette Sims as principal of Harrison Street Elementary School and Jane Schwartz as assistant principal of Geneva Middle School South. Both will begin their duties July 1.
Sims has worked as Dean of Students at Geneva High School since August 2004.
Sims was appointed high school assistant principal in June 2005 and associate principal in May 2007.
She was chosen from a field of 50 candidates, officials said. Her salary will be $92,737.
"In the past six years, Ms. Sims has proven to be an effective leader," Superintendent Dr. Kent Mutchler said. "Her positive attitude, strong interpersonal and organization skills, and capacity to motivate others are a good match for the Harrison Street Elementary School community."
Previously, Sims held a variety of elementary, middle school, and high school special education teaching positions in both small and large districts.
Sims served for three years as a special education teacher at Glenbard North High School, where she also served as a student council sponsor, scholastic bowl coach, ninth grade class sponsor, and a member of the school improvement team.
Sims holds a bachelor's degree in special education from Illinois State University and a master's degree in educational leadership from Aurora University, where she is currently in a doctoral program.
Schwartz worked in several suburban middle schools as a math, science, and math lab teacher. Before being chosen as the Geneva Middle School South principal, Schwartz was the Math & Science Coordinator for Lombard District 44, where she managed the district's science center, coached teachers in math and science, facilitated the district's math, science and health committees.
Also in District 44, Schwartz supervised the testing and placement process of students in the leveled math programs at the middle school level, researched and selected math intervention programs as part of the district's RTI plan, and worked with teacher teams to review student achievement data.
Schwartz was chosen from a field of 60 applicants, officials said. Her salary will be $76,000.
"Ms. Schwartz's middle school teaching experience, curricular expertise, and knowledge of student assessment programs make her well suited to begin her duties as Assistant Principal at Geneva Middle School South," Mutchler said.
Schwartz holds a bachelor degree in business administration from Illinois Wesleyan University, a master of arts degree in elementary education from National Louis University, and a master's degree in educational leadership from Roosevelt University.