Dear District 57 Families,
As the 2022-2023 school year comes to a close, I want to take this opportunity to celebrate our amazing students, staff, and families. This school year, our students took chances on things they never thought possible and learned their potential is limited only by their imagination. Our staff devoted their talents and passion to helping our students reach new heights.
This morning, the entire District 57 Staff gathered for our annual Retirement and Recognition Breakfast where we honored staff who have reached milestones of working ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, and thirty years in the district. A complete list of staff who were honored can be found below. We also honored two amazing educators who are retiring: Janice Zemaitis and Kim Sloma. Janice has taught kindergarten in District 57 for the past 26 years and Kim has taught a variety of different grades in District 57 for the past 38 years. We are so grateful for their incredible service to District 57 and wish them the very best in retirement.
I want to congratulate our Lincoln Middle School Class of 2023! We were so thrilled to celebrate our graduates on Tuesday evening at Prospect High School. Graduation is always a bittersweet event for us, but we know our students will thrive in high school and beyond.
We’ve had numerous opportunities to connect over the year, to share ideas and concerns, whether it be at a Superintendent Coffee & Conversation, the Citizen Finance Advisory Committee (CFAC), the District 57 Community Engagement Event, one of our bi-weekly D57 Board Meetings, participation in the Equity Audit, Portrait of a Graduate Development, or School Perceptions Survey, or the 2023-2028 Strategic Planning Summit. This ongoing dialogue has been vital in ensuring I can direct our district on the path our stakeholders most desire.
Over the summer, we will continue working to prepare our schools for the coming school year. This work will include security upgrades to our schools and various facility and technology upgrades and repairs. At the June 15 Board Meeting, the Strategic Plan will be presented to the Board of Education, and at the July 17 Board Meeting, the Board will take action on this plan. I’m thrilled to start the next school year implementing a new five-year District 57 Strategic Plan built from hundreds of parents, community, and staff ideas, comments, and input.
I feel grateful to be able to serve you, your children, and the community as the Superintendent of District 57. I look forward to the work ahead of us and can’t wait to see our students again in August.
Have a wonderful summer!
In the spirit of education,
Dr. Mary Gorr, Superintendent
