Kathleen Prado will return as the principal of Central Middle School next year.

The Evergreen Park School District 124 Board of Education officially approved her appointment during its Jan. 15 meeting. Prado, who is filling the role on an interim basis, will continue to serve as the District’s Director of Curriculum and Instruction.

“I am proud of the teachers, staff, students, and administration at Central for the way that they have all pulled together this year. The positive energy and enthusiasm across the middle school is so exciting; it's infectious,” D124 Superintendent Dr. Robert Machak said. “Kathleen Prado is leading an amazing transformation of the climate and culture at Central; keeping this fantastic administrative team together another year will allow everyone at Central the opportunity to continue to build on the strong middle school foundation that we have laid for our students this year.

“Kathleen has supported our outstanding teaching staff at Central and has made every decision as principal with the best interests of our students in mind. The students at Central are safer, more engaged, and have been challenged with more rigorous academic standards and opportunities. I am thrilled to have Kathleen continue in her dual role for another year.”

Prado was named Interim Principal of CMS prior to the start of the 2019-2020 school year. Alongside first-year Assistant Principals Jenny Daly and Daniel Richmond, the new administrative team at Central has worked to improve internal and external communication, and to ensure that school rules and guidelines are consistently followed. With additional procedures now in place, they will spend the remainder of the school year focusing on instructional shifts and data conversations.

With Prado serving as principal for another year, the administrative team can continue to build on these efforts.

“I’m thrilled with the progress we’ve seen at Central so far this year, and eager to see those improvements continue in the future,” Prado said. “Just as we strive for consistency each and every day within our school, I firmly believe that consistency among our leadership team will be extremely important as we work to not only maintain the progress we’ve made, but to improve the educational experience for students and families in years to come.”

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.

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.