Dr. Tom Koulentes, the current principal at Highland Park High School, has been chosen to become the new principal at LHS following current principal Dr. Marina Scott’s retirement at the end of this school year.
At the school board meeting on Monday, Feb. 27, the board unanimously voted to formally appoint Dr. Koulentes as principal of LHS starting on July 1. Before the vote, District 128 superintendent, Dr. Prentiss Lea, praised Dr. Koulentes for his previous leadership experience at HPHS along with his character.
“Tom is a demonstrated, mission-driven, moral and ethical leader, and his leadership philosophy, beliefs, and actions are consistent with D128 core values,” Dr. Lea stated.
Junior Emily Regan, a school board student representative, added: “I am so thrilled that I get another year at LHS because I know that he is going to make it an even better atmosphere, if that’s even possible.”
Dr. Koulentes has been serving in his role at HPHS since July 2015 after being appointed interim principal for the 2014-2015 school year. Before becoming principal, Dr. Koulentes was the assistant principal at HPHS for nine years, according to HPHS’s website.
Dr. Koulentes seeing a lot of potential at LHS, he said “I would not be leaving HPHS for any school other than Libertyville”.
Students and faculty members were involved in the interview process of the potential new principal. Emily Baumstark, an LHS senior who participated in Dr. Koulentes’s interview, is excited about his selection.
“He is a very genuine and personable man who had not just the school’s best interest [at] heart but the interest of each individual student,” Baumstark said in a text interview.
Students and faculty members were heavily involved in the interview process of the potential new principals. Michael Kotzan, a senior at LHS, was another student who participated in the process. The students asked the four finalists questions that had been generated by other students and faculty members.
“After we asked the questions, the candidate left the room, [and] we were given a piece of paper and had five minutes to write down our thoughts on the candidate. We weren’t allowed to talk to anyone else because that could change our opinions,” Kotzan said in a phone interview.
Dr. Koulentes has been in District 113 for more than 20 years, starting as a social studies and English Language Learners (ELL) teacher, according to the Chicago Tribune. Soon after, he became the director of the district’s bilingual program.
He holds a doctorate degree in education and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from National-Louis University as well as a bachelor’s degree in social studies education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Dr. Koulentes has been a longtime friend of Dr. Scott, who believes he will be a great principal for LHS. According to Dr.Scott, the job of principal is about a lot more than policy changes and paperwork — it’s centered around the students.
“I like to put [the students] first, so if you want to talk to me, I put you before any of [the rest of the administration]. If there’s a decision to be made, the first thing we thing think about it is what’s going to be best for kids,” Dr. Scott explained.
Dr. Koulentes also views having an open door as an important aspect for principals and plans to practice it at LHS. He is very excited about coming to Libertyville because he believes LHS is one of the best high school in the state and wants to help the school become one of the best in the nation.
Note: This story has been updated since it was initially posted, to reflect the school board’s official approval.
