Schools

'We're Building a Foundation': A Talk With the New Rogus Kindergarten Principal

Jason Isdonas is excited about his new position, stressing collaboration between students, parents and teachers as a key to success.

As the school year begins for kindergarteners arriving at today, the most excited--and probably the most nervous--person there won't be a student. Or a parent. 

It will be new kindergarten Principal Jason Isdonas.

"On the first day of student attendance, I'm going to greet as many kids as I possibly can with the biggest smile on my face," said Isdonas, who officially started his new job at the beginning of the month. "I'm going to do the best I possibly can to be a visible presence and start learning the names of the students."

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"It's a great opportunity, and have I mentioned that I'm excited?" he added.

That excitement, Isdonas says, comes from joining a school with a successful system in place, as well as similarities to Troy School District, where he worked for 10 years, the past four as an assistant principal. 

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"They're both progressive school districts with a commitment and dedication to learning," he said. 

Sharing analogous academic philosophies is part of what made Isdonas an ideal candidate to replace Nan Clinton, who retired from the post in June after 15 years, said interm Superintendent Barb Rains.

"I believe Jason will do well in his position," Rains said. "Jason is very student-centered and personable. Students, staff, and parents will feel welcome and respected. ... All in all, we have great combination: a veteran staff who has been very successful in preparing students for first grade and a curricular leader who is passionate about student learning."

As a teacher and administrator, Isdonas says the keys to creating a strong, educational atmosphere at a school are participation and cooperation among everyone involved, something he stressed at his old school district.

"What I'm most proud of is the collaboration and communication we built with the students and families," he said. "As an administrator, it's imperative that you're visible, getting in the classroom having conversations with the students and parents."

He also finds concentrating on one grade--kindergarten--to be a powerful advantage for students who get a principal's undivided attention.

"I definitely find the scope to be a positive, in my opinion," Isdonas said. "Working with one grade level--and as a team--we can focus on anything and everything."

Isdonas, who lives in Channahon, grew up in Homer Glen and graduated from . He earned his bachelor's degree from Eastern Illinois University and his master's from Olivet Nazarene University. In 1998, he began his academic career as a teacher in the Burr Ridge School District, eventually moving to Troy, where he taught for six years. Teaching, in fact, is still something close to Isdonas's heart.

"It's the biggest thing I miss, being in of the classroom," he said. "What I'm most proud of as a teacher is the rapport and relationships I built with students and their families."

Looking ahead, Isdonas says his biggest challenge will be learning the day-to-day systems at Rogus and growing within that system. He also looks forward to becoming a staple in the school community as a way to insure students are starting down the right educational path.

"Kindergarten is extremely important," he said. "We're setting the foundation for the next years of their academic career. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to be the prinicipal here. ... Bring it on. I'm excited. I really am."


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