The Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 Board of Education at its June 8 meeting confirmed the appointment of Shari Lazor as assistant principal of Washington School effective July 1.
Lazor comes to District 64 from Martin Elementary School in Lake Villa, where she taught grade 4 for 13 years. Earlier in her career, she was a continuous progress teacher in grades K-2 in the Zephyrhills, Florida school district.
“Ms. Lazor is an exceptional teacher who has worked far beyond the four walls of her classroom to improve student learning,” according to Superintendent Laurie Heinz. “She has a strong instructional background including an understanding of special education as well as a proven record of success as a teacher-leader, both at her school and working on the district level,” Dr. Heinz added.
“We feel confident that Ms. Lazor’s well-rounded experiences have prepared her to move into an administrative leadership role, and believe she will not only work well with Principal Stephanie Daly but also be a great addition to the Washington community and to District 64,” Dr. Heinz added.
Lazor has worked diligently as a teacher in leadership roles ranging from assisting new teachers as a mentor and serving on the problem-solving team tracking student progress to creating and presenting meetings on teacher evaluation models. She received the Superintendent’s “Above and Beyond” Award for her outstanding work. She also served as District 41’s Teacher’s Union President.
Lazor is a graduate of Illinois State University, and holds master’s degrees from National Louis University and Concordia University. She received a special education learning behavior specialist certificate from the University of St. Francis.
Dr. Heinz selected Lazor from an initial pool of 47 candidates through a multi-step process, which culminated in finalist interviews with a team of Washington School teachers and staff joined by District 64 administrators.