Schools

New Principals Named for Twin Groves, Kildeer Countryside

Jennifer Smith will take the reins at Kildeer, as Principal Heather Friziellie transitions to a new role at the middle school.

will welcome new principals at and for the 2011-12 school year.

Heather Friziellie, the current principal at Kildeer, will replace Jeff Brown, who is leaving Twin Groves next month to pursue a new career track. Jennifer Smith, who currently serves as the district’s special education coordinator, has been named principal at Kildeer Countryside.

Smith has worked in the district since 2002, when she was hired as a teacher, and has been a member of the district’s leadership team for the past five years.

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She holds a bachelor’s degree in special education from Northeastern Illinois University and a master’s degree in education from Northern Illinois University. She is now in the dissertation phase of her doctorate degree.

“Her broad experiences in the district as a classroom teacher and as an administrator have been excellent preparation for Mrs. Smith’s new responsibilities as Kildeer School principal,” District 96 Superintendent Julie Schmidt said in a statement. “From the first, she has been centrally involved in the district’s development as a professional learning community and has a keen understanding of what students and their teachers need to succeed.”

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Friziellie, who has served as principal at Kildeer Countryside since 2006, was previously principal of Beebe – a Naperville school with enrollment of over 750 students at the time — as an assistant principal, and as an instructional coordinator. Her background also includes experience as a technology curriculum specialist and a classroom teacher.

She holds a bachelor’s degree and administrative certification from Indiana University and a master’s degree in education from Indiana Wesleyan. She is currently in the dissertation phase of her doctorate degree.

“My approach to being a principal is based on my belief that everyone in the school plays important roles and shares in the goal of helping everyone achieve, “ Friziellie said in a statement.

Schmidt said that Friziellie’s experience makes her “ideally suited to serve as Twin Groves Middle School principal.”

“In addition, she recognizes the importance of partnering with parents,” the superintendent said.

School Board President Marc Tepper described Frizielle as “a compassionate educator who will bring energy and enthusiasm to her role as Twin Groves Middle School principal.”

“As a poised professional who has earned the respect of teachers district wide, she is a great fit for the Twin Groves community,” he said in a statement.

Friziellie will spend the beginning of the 2011-12 school year on maternity leave, during which time she will be replaced by retired Twin Groves Principal Marie Schalke. Friziellie is expected to return to work shortly after the new school year begins.

Brown, who began his District 96 career at Woodlawn Middle School in 1999, later served as Twin Groves Middle School assistant principal (2005–2007) and as Country Meadows Elementary principal (2007–2010) before taking the helm at Twin Groves.

He is leaving the district to take a job with educational publisher Solution Tree, where he will assess and match the professional development needs of educators with resources and strategies to help equip their students to succeed.


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