
Stephanie Johnson
New principal named for Oak Ridge School
From staff reports
North Palos School District 117 announces that Stephanie Johnson will be the new principal at Oak Ridge School in Palos Hills beginning with the 2022-2023 school year.
Johnson assumes the role of principal after spending the last two years as assistant principal at Glen Oaks School in Hickory Hills.
She has been an integral part of the district team since arriving 15 years ago as a teacher. Johnson has spent time as a teacher, a Team Leader, a Technology Instruction Coordinator and assistant principal.
“I’m so excited for this great opportunity,” said Johnson, who lives in Downers Grove with husband Aaron and the couple’s 4-year-old Golden Retriever Tesla. “But I’m also going to miss (Glen Oaks’ Principal) Carla (Braun) and everyone here. I have learned so much from Carla. She is incredible, as is the entire staff here.”
Oak Ridge and Glen Oaks schools are second- through fifth-grade buildings and are similar in both the number of students enrolled and in the number of grade sections.
Johnson said the principal and assistant principal jobs “are similar, but there is a lot more responsibility as principal.” “I’m a good listener and I remain calm in stressful situations,” she said. “I’m always open to feedback.”
She said she learned some important lessons the last couple of years as AP that should serve her well in her new role as principal. Chief among them are the importance of building relationships with teachers and staff while maintaining an open-door policy.
“But the key to running a successful school is keeping kids at the forefront of everything we do and knowing they are the reason we are here,” she said. “We must keep making decisions that are in the best interest of our students.”
Johnson credits (retired District 117 teacher and Team Leader) Kathy Sullivan “for taking me under her wing and inspiring me to obtain my Masters’ Degree.
“Kathy Sullivan made a difference in me,” she said. “She believed in me and helped me grow professionally.”
Johnson started her career in District 117 in 2007 as a teacher at Glen Oaks. She remained a teacher until 2018 when she was named a Team Leader and technology information coordinator until being named AP in 2020.
“I’ve been in the district my entire career and it has been a great experience,” she said. “I’m looking forward to this new role and the challenges it brings.”
The move is a homecoming of sorts for Johnson as she will reunite with many of the colleagues she has worked with over her 15 years in the district.
One of those colleagues is Oak Ridge Team Leader Dave Creagan.
“During our time together, I was privileged to witness (Mrs. Johnson’s) love of teaching, passion for curriculum and instruction and never-ending dedication to her students,” Creagan said. “Stephanie is a true leader who consistently goes above and beyond for her students.
“I can’t think of a better person to take the reins of Oak Ridge than Stephanie,” he said.
Local News

Competitive Dance State Finals | Evergreen Park has sixth sense again
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer BLOOMINGTON — For the second straight year, Evergreen Park’s competitive dance team qualified for the second day of state competition. For the second straight year, the Mustangs were the first team to perform on the second day. And for the second straight year, they finished sixth in the…

Area Sports Roundup: Shepard, Sandburg and Marist win cheerleading sectional titles
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The area collected three sectional cheerleading championships and head into the state competition with a head of steam. Sandburg, Marist and Shepard came out of sectional competition with trophies and will compete in the IHSA state finals, to be held Friday and Saturday at Grossinger Arena at Illinois…

College Notebook | Grace Hynes helps Maroons end NYU’s unbeaten run
Spread the loveBy Mike Walsh Correspondent Mother McAuley alum Grace Hynes was the University Athletic Association’s Athlete of the Week in women’s college basketball for the timeframe ending January 17. Hynes, a senior at the University of Chicago, had 22 points and 10 rebounds as the Maroons’ handed top-ranked New York University its first loss…

Boys Basketball | TF North ends Oak Lawn’s win streak at seven
Spread the loveBy Steve Millar Correspondent Oak Lawn had a seven-game winning streak snapped last week in Calumet City, but Spartans coach Jason Rhodes knows it’s still been a heck of a January for a team thriving despite the loss of its leading scorer. Junior guard Corey Lee scored 14 points and senior guard Ayham…

Girls Basketball | Trunk a treasure late as Sandburg tops Lockport
Spread the loveBy Randy Whalen Correspondent On Senior Night at Sandburg, it was a freshman who saved the Eagles. Zoe Trunk stole the ball and hit a layup with 10 seconds to play, completing Sandburg’s rally from a 12-point third-quarter deficit in a 37-34 victory over Lockport on Jan. 26 in Orland Park. The Eagles…

Girls Wrestling | Sandburg’s Sophia Figueroa eyes state tourney bid
Spread the loveBy Steve Millar Correspondent Sophia Figueroa is fired up for the girls wrestling postseason. The Sandburg sophomore competes for the Andrew co-op girls team, which also includes wrestlers from Stagg. As a freshman last season, Figueroa fell one win short of qualifying for the inaugural IHSA girls wrestling state finals. She was pinned…

Boys Basketball | Evergreen Park breaks out, but can’t overcome Hillcrest
Spread the loveBy Steve Millar Correspondent Evergreen Park coach Jim Sexton knows he has a team capable of putting up big offensive numbers behind a bevy of strong shooters. That just has not happened consistently this season for the Mustangs, who have struggled to score more often than not. The offense, however, had a breakout…

Boys Basketball | Adam Stuursma scores 30, helps rally Chicago Christian to win over Shepard
Spread the loveBy Steve Millar Correspondent Chicago Christian went into last week’s game against crosstown rival Shepard having lost eight games in a row. It didn’t seem likely the Knights were going to end that streak when they went to halftime down by 16 points. Knights coach Kevin Pittman implored his team to focus on…

How about taking care of seniors first?
Spread the loveBy Ray Hanania They’re talking about how Social Security will run out of money by the year 2033. Run out of money? Social Security recipients have been putting money into the system every year that they have been working, saving to feed their families and paying their share to cover the costs of…
Neighbors

‘Omnibus’ health care bill passed amid criticisms
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A law recently signed by Gov. JB Pritzker will extend the deadline for the state to transfer criminal defendants deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial from jail to a mental hospital. That same bill, House Bill 240, also gives nursing homes in Illinois two more years…

Veteran Statehouse reporter Hannah Meisel joins Capitol News Illinois reporting team
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS [email protected] Longtime Statehouse reporter Hannah Meisel has joined the Capitol News Illinois team as a full-time state government and politics reporter. She’s had a number of assignments covering the Statehouse and Illinois government since the 2014 legislative session, most recently serving as Statehouse editor for NPR Illinois from 2020 until after…

Replacing Illinois institution as secretary of state, Giannoulias makes modernization push
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – For newly sworn-in Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, customer service is the central mission as he assumes the state’s second-largest constitutional office, replacing the man who had held it for nearly a quarter century. “Modernization and bringing new technology is going to be at the forefront…

UPDATED: State preparing further defense of assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Attorney General Kwame Raoul on Monday filed a petition asking an appellate court to vacate a temporary restraining order that was issued late Friday afternoon blocking enforcement of the state’s recently-passed assault weapons ban. Raoul’s office filed the petition in the 5th District Appellate Court in…

State preparing further defense of assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker and legislative leaders said they were disappointed but not surprised by a judge’s decision late Friday putting a temporary and limited halt to enforcement of the state’s recently-passed assault weapons ban. Effingham County Judge Joshua Morrison issued the temporary restraining order late Friday…

Rifle Association files federal suit against assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Rifle Association has joined forces with other gun rights advocates in filing a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s new ban on the sale and manufacture of semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines. It’s the latest legal challenge to the law, which went into effect…

DCFS, director face lawsuit filed on behalf of jailed wards
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services on Thursday was named in a federal class-action lawsuit on behalf of children in state care who have been held in juvenile detention centers after a judge ordered their release. Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert is a…

At World Economic Forum, Pritzker plays role of Illinois’ ‘best chief marketing officer’
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – After his second-term inauguration amid a frenzied “lame duck” legislative session last week, Gov. JB Pritzker took the global stage this week at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The governor and high-ranking members of his staff joined a bipartisan delegation of U.S.…

Watchdog seeks harsher penalties in wake of abuse at Choate
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois & MOLLY PARKER Lee Enterprises Midwest This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Lee Enterprises, along with Capitol News Illinois. The watchdog for the Illinois Department of Human Services is seeking harsher penalties against health care workers who obstruct abuse and neglect investigations. IDHS…

Rifle Association files federal suit against assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Rifle Association has joined forces with other gun rights advocates in filing a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s new ban on the sale and manufacture of semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines. It’s the latest legal challenge to the law, which went into effect…