HMS/WJHS Administrative Team

June 8, 2011

HMS/WJHS Administrative Team

Greetings, Parents,

As we begin to wind down the year, I want to share some exciting news. As you know, we have undertaken a change in the leadership at HMS and WJHS. Our new campus model will include an assistant principal at each grade level and I will oversee each school.

During the past several weeks, we have taken on the task of hiring assistant principals for the vacancies at HMS and WJHS. I am proud to say that we have identified what I consider to be the best candidates for our two openings. Below, I have included some information about our administrative team. I hope that your child had a wonderful year in school this year and I wish you a restful summer.

See you soon...
Dave Palzet

Dave Palzet, Principal - This is Dave's 6th year in the district. Prior to his work in Wilmette, he was a principal and assistant principal in Lake Forest, IL, and he served as Dean of Students at Cooper Middle School in Buffalo Grove, IL. Prior to entering administration, Dave taught 5th and 6th grade in Wheeling School District 21. He received his BA from Illinois State University and his MA in school administration from Northeastern Illinois University. He completed his postgraduate work with a PhD from Loyola University, Chicago.

Traci Meziere, 5th Grade Assistant Principal - Traci is excited to begin her 7th year in District 39 as the 5th grade assistant principal at Highcrest Middle School. She taught on the 4th grade team at Central School for four years before taking on the role of Differentiation Support Teacher for the past two years. Traci has served on several district-wide committees and co-chaired the Progress Reporting Committee, as well as serving as a mentor in District 39's mentoring program. Prior to coming to Wilmette, Traci taught 5th and 6th grade students in the Chicago Public Schools. She received her BA from Loyola University, her MA in Teaching from National Louis University, and most recently, her MA in Administration and Supervision from Concordia University.

Cassie Black, 6th Grade Assistant Principal - After graduating with a degree in psychology from Augustana College, Cassie returned to her home state of Colorado to pursue an educational specialist degree in school psychology at the University of Northern Colorado. Upon finishing an internship, she moved to the Chicago-land area to embark on a career in education. From 2002 to 2004, she worked as a school psychologist at a junior high in Schaumburg. From 2004 to 2008, Cassie had the opportunity to work as a school psychologist at Lake Forest High School. While working in Lake Forest, Cassie began pursuing a master’s degree in educational leadership from Roosevelt University. Upon completion of the program, she accepted an administrative position as a Student Services Learning Coordinator in Highland Park for the 2008-09 school year. For the last two years she has worked as the Assistant Principal at Highcrest is excited to begin her third year this fall, when she will work primarily with 6th grade students, teachers, and parents.

Darik Williams, 7th Grade Assistant Principal - This is Darik’s first year in the district. He comes to us from Denver, Colorado where he was an assistant principal at Challenge School, a K-8 magnet school for academically advanced students. This year is his twelfth in education. Prior to Colorado, he taught intermediate grades in California and Georgia. He received his BA in Political Science and his BS in Elementary Education from Southern Illinois University- Carbondale. He earned his M.Ed. in Elementary Education from the University of Illinois- Champaign in 2003. In 2008, he received his MA in Educational Administration from Michigan State University. He recently began work on his doctorate in Educational Leadership from Lehigh University. He is excited to join District 39, and he is thrilled to be returning to his home state of Illinois.

Kelly Jackson, 8th Grade Assistant Principal - Kelly Jackson is in her second year as Assistant Principal at WJHS. She began teaching in Wilmette in 2001 as a Spanish teacher. Kelly has taught Spanish to every grade level from Kindergarten through eighth grade, spending the majority of her time at Highcrest Middle School. In 2005 Kelly became a curriculum coordinator part time while teaching, and her primary responsibility was overseeing the successful development and implementation of the K-8 Spanish program. Kelly received her BA in Elementary Education from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and her MA in Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Prior to coming to District 39, Kelly taught for four years in East Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Over the course of the next school year, you will be asked to complete a survey that seeks assesses your perception of our leadership model and ways that we can improve our service to you.

The only way to teach respect is to model it ~ Todd Whitaker