In the scheme of things, outgoing District 233 Superintendent Scott Wakeley wishes he’d been at Homewood-Flossmoor High School 10 years ago.

“I wish I was here longer,” Wakeley, 57, said. He retires June 30. “I wish I was here when I was 47 to move some of the things forward and see it happen, but I’m grateful for the time that’s been given to me, and I do know it’s been given to me. It’s a gift because other people want this job, too.”

Wakeley came to Homewood-Flossmoor High School in 2021. He served a year as superintendent-elect under outgoing Superintendent Von Mansfield before stepping into the top job.

“I have an appreciation for Homewood-Flossmoor. I have loved my time here and I would absolutely make the same decision every time,” he said.  

Then he ticks off a list of special moments — the state basketball championship, the top honors for the spring musicals in 2024 and 2025, state titles won by the Special Olympics teams, the numerous academic honors, the opening of the new culinary commercial kitchen and the new science wing.

“All those things, I think it amazes me to see our kids excel and the joy that they have being the best of the best, in some cases in the state, the nation, but then you see them in the hallway and they’re just kids. You don’t know if you should hug them like a parent or ask them for their autograph,” he said.

Wakeley is grateful for the ongoing support he received from the community. 

He said even when issues were raised, residents put trust in the board and administration to make wise decisions. 

One of the toughest things for the staff was trying to be a school during COVID. Despite all the hardship, Wakeley believes the pandemic came with some positives.

“The good part of going through something like that is it forced a very standard education system to be nimble, the first time ever at least in my lifetime. If we went to the staff and said, ‘We’re going to go one-to-one with devices,’ we’d have a year of research, another year of talking about the implications of this. We did it in a week and there was no time for: ‘Is this good?’ No, everybody got on board and all the teachers were like OK we’re going to figure this out.”

Wakeley insists: “We can do hard things. It’s not fun and I’m not suggesting we do anything in that scenario, but some of the new things we’re looking at and get resistance on, are not that hard.” 

Wakeley is also leaving the new District 233 Strategic Plan for incoming Superintendent Jennifer Norrell to implement. He sees it as “loaded with good stuff” but there’s so much in it that the next school board and superintendent will need to focus on what their priorities are now and what they will be for the future.

“I believe the next board and the next superintendent is going to make it their own. I think we brought to light some challenges that maybe people knew or didn’t know they existed,” he said.

Staff will continue work on the Profile of a Viking that Wakeley developed the first year he was at H-F. 

Profile of a Viking is core competences, such as diversity and inclusion, citizenship and character, and communication and collaboration.

“School is important, but these other things are what makes good students into exceptional contributors when they leave here.” It’s what he calls “our True North. Our kids have a diverse community, but hopefully they come out (of H-F) knowing that everybody has a place and everybody belongs, and sometimes we have to do things differently ourselves to make others belong.

“Test scores are really important, no question. And we have to do better and we will do better, but high achievement in the absence of those (Profile) things, we’re still missing the mark. I believe we can and must do both,” he said.

Wakeley said he’s got 35 years of service in schools and is walking away from the H-F job but isn’t sure of his next job or position. 

Right now, his intention is to spend more time with his family. The day after his last school board meeting June 17 Wakeley and his wife will be on a plane to Germany in time for the birth of his third grandchild. His son is a captain in the U.S. Army and he and his wife have two children that Wakeley says he enjoys seeing via Zoom, but he’s looking forward to quality family time.