District 233 has a new superintendent and Homewood-Flossmoor High School has a new principal and a new associate principal working with administrators at both the North and South Buildings.
Superintendent Scott Wakeley officially stepped into the top leadership position for the district July 1 after serving for a year as superintendent-elect under outgoing Superintendent Von Mansfield who retired June 30 after 21 years in the district.
Clinton Alexander stepped into the principal’s spot July 1. He comes to H-F after serving as principal at Hillcrest High School the past two years. The District 233 school board selected Alexander for the principal’s role in December and he has spent time at H-F in the interim months meeting staff and getting acclimated.
Alexander also completed an Ed.D. degree from National Louis University in May in educational leadership with a superintendent’s endorsement.
The principal’s position for the 2021-22 school year was filled by James Mitchem who came out of retirement to serve as interim principal following the resignation of H-F principal Jerry Anderson in June 2021.
The board created a new associate principal position being filled by Shannon Swilley who comes to H-F after serving as a superintendent in an elementary school district. He will be in charge of residency issues, school registration, student recognition at all levels and working with Catherine Ross-Cook, director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), on strategies for implementation.
Shifting that work to Swilley will enable South Building Associate Principal Craig Fantin and North Building Assistant Principal Quitman Dillard the chance to take on more active leadership roles. Alexander said day to day the two will be “operational drill sergeants in the building” putting a focus on safety, order and tidiness.
Wakeley said the two will have “an opportunity to work with staff and not just manage issues. They will be providing leadership. I think that’s important.”
Dillard will continue to handle summer school registrations, and Fantin will oversee the deans, and safety and security operations “which is a lot of the things he’s been doing,” Wakeley said.
“I’m just grateful to serve and support the strategies and the visions of both Dr. Wakeley and Dr. Alexander that will help ensure equitable outcomes for all the students here,” Dillard said. “That being said, we’re student centered, we’re passionate about what we do and everything is academic focused.”
Fantin said: “The exciting part is we’re going to have new ideas and new perspectives they (Wakeley and Alexander) can bring to the table as far as the leadership. I think that’s what, as a school, we’re most excited about.
“Dr. Mansfield left us with a wealth of knowledge and things he put in place we still utilize today, but I think with our new leadership team we can take those ideas, expand those and bring in those new ideas and programs that are going to better meet the needs of our students. I think that’s the most important part as we move forward as a team.”