Evergreen Park School District 124 has appointed Director of Curriculum and Instruction Kathleen Prado as the Interim Principal of Central Middle School, giving the administration an opportunity to conduct a thorough search for its long-term principal during the 2019-2020 school year.

District 124 plans to post the principal vacancy for the 2020-21 school year this fall, according to Superintendent Dr. Robert Machak.

“The children, teachers, and parents in this District deserve an outstanding middle school principal,” Machak said. “I want to be sure that we put ourselves in the best position to find that person.”

Prado’s appointment was officially approved at the Wednesday, July 17, Board of Education meeting, along with the promotion CMS Multi-Tiered System of Support Coach Jenny Daly, who will become one of two assistant principals at the school.

“Kathleen is an incredible person,” Machak said. “We have worked side by side for seven years in this school district. In all that time, I can’t remember a single conversation with her that wasn’t about, at its core, the improvement of teaching and learning in our schools. Kathleen remains a teacher at heart, and her belief in the goodness of our children, our teachers, and in our public education system has allowed her to lead some amazing transformations across the district.”

Prado was hired as D124’s Curriculum Director at the start of the 2012-13 school year. During her tenure, she has facilitated review of the District Math, English Language Arts, Science, and Social Sciences curricula. 

“Kathleen has really focused her efforts on the middle school the last two years” Machak continued. “She has been instrumental in helping the teachers and students at Central make the shift from junior high to middle school. She worked closely with the Central staff to create a middle school schedule from the ground up. In the past year, we have added daily Advisory, Gifted Algebra, opportunities for daily academic support, and STEM-based electives at all three grade levels at Central. None of these things would have happened for our kids without Kathleen Prado. 

“There are so many great things that the teachers at Central are doing with our students. With her knowledge of the District curriculum and the Central students and staff, Kathleen can hit the ground running as soon as school starts and continue to move these initiatives forward.”

Prior to coming to Evergreen Park, Prado worked as an assistant principal, intervention coordinator, and second-grade teacher. She holds masters’ degrees in Educational Administration and Curriculum and Instruction, and a master’s and bachelor’s degree in Education from Governors State University.

“I have been working from a distance supporting Central Middle School and look forward to the opportunity to be there on a daily basis to ensure the work we started continues,” Prado said. “I am very passionate about District 124 and the work we have engaged in over the years around addressing the wide range of needs that all of our learners present. With the addition of Mr. [Daniel] Richmond and Mrs. Daly, we will have a strong team to support the teachers in the great work that they do and with supporting the students to feel like Central is a place they are excited to come to each day.”

Jenny Daly -- who has been with the District since 2000, primarily as a math teacher -- moves into an assistant principal role at CMS after excelling in her role as the District’s MTSS coach last year. She has a master’s degree in General Administration from St. Xavier University and a bachelor’s in education from Eastern Illinois University.

“Jenny was an excellent math teacher when I met her,” Machak said, “and I see so much potential in her to be an excellent administrator.  She is going to be such an asset to the new administrative team at Central.”