Story posted Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Another New Face In District 57 Next Year
By RICHARD MAYER Assistant Managing Editor
Mt. Prospect Elementary School Dist. 57 Asst. Supt. for Curriculum and Instruction Lois Andrews will retire June 30 after serving six years in the district.
Her successor will be Dr. Susan Woodrow, who is currently employed in Cook County School Dist. 130 in Blue Island as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. She has been there for nine years.
Looking back on her six years with Dist. 57, Andrews said she is proud of the steady achievement gained in ISAT (Illinois Standards Achievement Test) scores, in addition to adding tools to help struggling students.
"I am also very proud of the RISE program, which is a before school intensive remedial reading program for intermediate students," said Andrews. "Our technology has come a long way with better integrations and the implementation of smart boards. We have also managed to organize our curriculum area so teachers have better materials and resources."
Andrews said she leaves the district at a time when staff and administrators begin their science pilot program in addition to the district moving forward with additional Smart Board usage and integration of more advanced technology to instruct children who are both struggling and also considered high achievers.
"I am very thankful for the incredible support I have received from teachers because I work with them more than I do parents," said Andrews. "Part of my job is to support teachers to do the best job they can. This is a wonderful staff that took risks and worked on challenging things and rose to my expectations to be learners. My biggest message to them is to be learners as teachers and always be on the cutting edge."
Woodrow currently works closely with principals regarding teachers, learning and best practices. She is also in charge of grant writing and management.
"My present superintendent is retiring as well and I saw this as an opportunity to look for my possible next step," Woodrow explained on why she chose to apply for the position. "Dist. 57 is a great place with a legacy of the highest quality education for students and I am delighted to be invited to come. I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with the dedicated staff and great kids and their families."
Woodrow, who was appointed by Dist. 57 board members on Apr. 16, said the first thing she will do when she takes over July 1 is listen and learn.
"Dist. 57 has wonderful programs in place for kids, so before I make judgments on new programs, I need to learn what's in place and celebrate what works with all and then think about the future. I have no preconceived notions."
Woodrow's background consists of a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a master's degree in social work from the University of Illinois-Chicago, and a doctorate degree in curriculum and instruction from Loyola University in Chicago. She also completed education administration work at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.
Andrews said once she retires, she plans to spend time with her grandchildren and do an extensive amount of traveling. Part of that traveling will include mission work in Ghana and Uganda in Africa.
She plans to travel to Ghana in September and help open a school there.
A reception to honor Andrews and Supt Dr. Bruce Brown will be held Tuesday, June 2 at Westbrook School in Mt. Prospect from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. to bid a fond farewell. Brown is also retiring June 30, although there are talks he might stay on a bit longer in lieu of incoming Supt. Peggy Kaufmann's resignation after alleged DUI incidents.
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