DATE: Mar. 6, 2008
Principals named for 2008-09 school year:
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To ensure a smooth transition, New Lenox School District 122 has selected successors for Cherry Hill Principal Kathleen Mangun and Nelson Prairie Principal Carla Koepke, who are retiring at the end of the 2007-08 school year.
Marianne Cucci, the assistant principal at Cherry Hill/Spencer Trail kindergarten centers, will replace Mrs. Mangun in the fall of 2008 while Trisha Anderson, the assistant principal at Spencer Pointe/Spencer Crossing schools, will replace Mrs. Koepke in the fall of 2008.
“We are fortunate to have such strong, instructional leaders as Marianne and Trisha in our District,” said Associate Superintendent Peggy Manville. “They have been an integral part of our school community for a number of years, and I am confident they will flourish in their new roles.”
Cucci, who recently received her doctorate in educational leadership from National Louis University, has been the assistant principal at Cherry Hill and Spencer Trail kindergarten centers for the past year. Prior to that, she worked in the District Office as its educational services coordinator, handling internal and external communications and working closely with Associate Superintendent Peggy Manville on curriculum issues.
She received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Saint Xavier University in 1997 and her master’s degree in educational administration from the same university in 2004.
She was hired to teach kindergarten at New Lenox’s Cherry Hill Kindergarten Center in 2001, a position she held until 2005 when she was selected to work in the District Office.
“I am very appreciative and excited to have this opportunity to serve as a principal for the New Lenox School District,” said Cucci. “Cherry Hill is truly a wonderful place to work. The faculty and staff at Cherry Hill are one of the most caring, intelligent and dedicated group of people that I have ever had the privilege to worth with. Students and families are equally wonderful and have always made my time at Cherry Hill special.
“I plan to continue to promote the positive learning climate created over the years by Principal Kathie Mangun,” she added. “She has been a great mentor and role model for me. She will be a very tough act to follow. Given this opportunity, I will work hard to plan, inspire and nurture the values shared by the school and community.”
Prior to joining the District in 2001, Cucci was a first-grade teacher in the Northeast Elementary School District in Evergreen Park from 1999-2001 and a kindergarten and first-grade teacher for the same district from 1998-1999.
She lives in New Lenox with her husband, Scott, and their children, Kevin, 13, and Timmy, 9.
Mrs. Anderson, who helped open Spencer Pointe and Spencer Crossing schools this past fall, has been a member of the New Lenox School District 122 family for seven years. She has worked in four of the district’s 12 schools, including Tyler, Bentley, Spencer Pointe and Spencer Crossing.
She was hired to teach fifth and sixth-grade students at Bentley School in 2000 and promoted to Assistant Principal of the school and neighboring Tyler School in 2004. In 2006, she was named Assistant Principal of Spencer Pointe and Spencer Crossing schools.
“I am blessed to be a part of New Lenox School District and thrilled to be the principal of Nelson Prairie,” said Anderson. “I have worked with wonderful principals and staffs throughout my time in New Lenox, and plan to take all my experiences and knowledge to Nelson Prairie to continue the legacy that Carla Koepke has created since the opening of the school. I look forward to getting to know the staff and families of Prairie.”
Anderson received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Olivet Nazarene University in 1998 and her master’s degree in educational administration from Northern Illinois University in 2003.
She began her career in education as a sixth, seventh and eighth-grade English and reading teacher at Deer Creek Christian School in University Park. There, she acquired and implemented a new reading curriculum, initiated a Pep Club for the entire school sports program and facilitated a school Spelling Bee.
In NLSD 122, Anderson has served on the Language Arts, Math and Science Curriculum Committees; facilitated writing workshops for new teachers; coordinated and mentored new teachers on Student-Led Conferencing; participated in the creation of school-wide lockdown procedures; facilitated and taught a class for the District’s new teacher mentoring program; and worked collaboratively with the National Junior Honor Society at Martino Junior High School to provide tutoring services to students in grades 1-3.
She lives in Manhattan with her husband, Brian, and their two dogs, Libby and Wrigley.