Proud To Be A Panther!
For the 2008-2009 school year, I will be entering my fifth year here at Prairie Grove Elementary School. My first two years was spent serving as the Assistant Principal. I'd like to think that I have brought consistency to Prairie Grove along with a plan to improve our school. This will be my second year at Prairie Grove as the Principal. I am extremely proud to be a Panther!
I graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1997 with a B.S. Ed in Physical Education with a minor in History. My first position was with Queen of All Saints School in Chicago as a physical education teacher for grades K-8 and as the athletic director. As athletic director I was in charge of supervising and hiring coaches, maintaining a budget, and reporting to the School Board. It was this position that pushed me to pursue an administration degree years later.
After teaching at Queen of All Saints, I taught at Mannheim School District 83 at Scott School. I served as a basketball and volleyball coach. The PTA awarded me with an Outstanding Teacher Involvement Award while I was there. It was at this time that I obtained my M.A. in Educational Leadership from Northeastern Illinois University.
Schaumburg School District 54 was where I developed into an administrator. I began teaching physical education at John Muir School. Some of the roles and responsibilities I had were the following: created and managed an after-school program, maintained and updated school website, mentored students in Rainbows Program, supported teachers as a union representative, and worked as a PTA representative. When our Principal was out for surgery the district asked me to act as the Assistant Principal for a few months. I knew the path I wanted to take and was lucky to get a job at Prairie Grove.
Since arriving at Prairie Grove, I have seen our school grow tremendously. We have positively changed the learning atmosphere for both our staff and students. Communication is becoming more effective. As Principal, I send out a quarterly newsletter to our parents to keep them informed. In our school, we have created a staff handbook to communicate more effectively with our faculty. Our Superintendent, Dr. Mary Fasbender created a Curriculum Council that oversees curriculum changes. The Curriculum Council approved our revamped ACEs Program. Finally, the School Improvement Plan Team has played an integral part in directing the school towards a Balanced Literacy approach that includes guided reading and the resources to implement it. PG is an exciting place to be.
Once again, I am proud to be a Panther!
Sincerely,
Vic Wight
Principal
