Out of 34 applications received, Saratoga School District 60C's administration and Board of Education selected someone who is already familiar with the ins and outs of the school to step into their one-year interim assistant principal position for the 2012-13 school year.
Current fifth-grade teacher Taryn Trotter will take on mainly disciplinary administrative responsibilities in her new role next school year. She will have other responsibilities, too, Superintendent Kathy Perry said, but her focus will be on student discipline.
Saratoga's Co-Principal Shannon Hamm requested and received a one-year leave of absence in April to home-school her youngest son, currently a kindergartner at Gardner Grade School. She and the Saratoga "family" are hopeful Hamm will be ready and able to return to the school the following school year, but only time will tell.
In her absence, Trotter will assist Joe Zweeres with the principal responsibilities.
"I am very excited," Trotter said. "This is a great place to work."
Trotter has been teaching Saratoga's fifth-graders since 2002. She earned her master's degree and Type 75 from the University of St. Francis in 2007.
Along with her teaching position, Trotter is also currently a mentor coordinator at Saratoga for the purpose of mentoring new teachers.
"It worked out well that we had a strong internal candidate," Perry said. "She's been very involved here."
Because the position is only open for one year, having someone already familiar with the school and the students makes the transition easier for everyone involved.
"We thought we'll mentor her and give her that year of experience," Perry said. "Then she can decide is she likes administration."
Once Hamm returns to the school, tentatively planned for the 2013-14 school year, Trotter will be given the option to go back into the classroom. She said she is not sure what her decision will be at this point in time, however.
"I'm going to take it a year at a time," Trotter said.
Perry said Trotter will step into her new role this summer, leaving her fifth-grade position available for at least one year, as well.
NEW TO THE NETWORK
The Saratoga Board also approved Monday, May 14, the employment of Stephen D. Mahnke as network administrator.
Mahnke will fill the position left vacant next year by Suzette Moskwa, who is retiring after eight years at Saratoga School.
"I will miss her a lot," Perry said in regards to Moskwa. "She's very, very good ... She was the first person I hired. It was an awesome decision."
Mahnke, who has a degree in networking and communications management from DeVry University, will take on the technical responsibilities at Saratoga next year, but is in training for now.
OTHER ACTION
In other business, the Saratoga Board:
• Hired Nicole Reade and Caitlin Dalton as Learning Disabled teachers.
• Hired Molly Hussey as an elementary teacher.
• Hired Rocio Lazcano as an English Language Learners teacher.
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