Huntley School District 158 names new Heineman Middle School principal

A current Round Lake principal will replace outgoing Heineman Middle School Principal Brian Faulkner as the Huntley School District 158 school′s top administrator.

Stephanie Mitchell, who has spent the past two years as the principal of John T. Magee Middle School in Round Lake, was hired following a “thorough search process that included a field of many qualified candidates,” Huntley School District 158 said in a news release.

Her selection was approved by the school board at its May 19 meeting.

She replaces Faulkner, who took a job as principal in Kaneland Community School District 302, district spokeswoman Alexandra LeMoine said in an email.

Faulkner was hired as Heineman’s principal ahead of the 2020-21 school year. Prior to that, he spent five years as principal of Harter Middle School in Kaneland School District 302, spent time as principal of F.E. Peacock Middle School in Itasca and was an assistant principal at Heineman from 2006 to 2012.

“He has been a great asset to our district and to Heineman, but ultimately decided to accept this position in a district closer to home,” LeMoine said.

Mitchell comes to District 158 with a “wide range of experience in the classroom and in leadership positions,” the district said in the release. Before her current principal role at Round Lake Area School District 116, she spent three years as Magee’s assistant principal of curriculum and Instruction.

She also has more than 10 years of classroom experience, including as an elementary and middle school teacher in Crystal Lake Elementary School District 47 and a math interventionist in Harvard School District 50.

Mitchell will earn a starting salary of $108,000 as principal, according to school board records.

Faulkner will collaborate with Mitchell over the remainder of the school year to ensure a smooth transition, according to the news release.