A Word From Our New Principal

Dear St. Hilary community,
It is truly an honor and privilege to be given the opportunity to be able to introduce myself to you, and I am incredibly excited to begin getting to know each member of this dynamic staff! My name is Heather Connolly, and I have been either a teacher or administrator for over 20 years.
Throughout my career I have made it a priority to have various experiences within the school and the district, so that I understand perspective from many different lenses. I was a teacher and literacy coach at Burbank Elementary; moved to central office where I supervised literacy coaches throughout the city; was an assistant principal at Barry Elementary and principal at Ravenswood Elementary. I was an Executive Director for Waterloo Community School District in Iowa where I supervised 19 buildings and over 50 administrators and was responsible for improving instruction and the daily operations of the school. Most recently, I created my own non-profit, The Center for Educational Advocacy and Equity, where the mission is to help families navigate the process of an individualized education plan (IEP) so that kids get the services they need to be successful.
Having been an administrator for over a decade, I understand how very important it is to be active in the community in which you serve. The school is the backbone of a community; however, the community helps to make a school great by partnering in many different ways with the school. As an administrator, this is one place that I have experienced success when partnering with the school community, and I would want to do the same thing at St. Hilary. At Ravenswood and Barry, I was actively involved in the community organizations within the neighborhood including being a member of the Chamber of Commerce so that all the businesses knew about the school and can help when we need various donations or volunteers. I went to the CAPS meetings regularly to keep up on all the gang activities and important police updates. I had regular meetings with the alderman as well as both our State Senator and our House of Representatives member, so they understood what we were working on at the school. At Ravenswood, I actively went door to door within the neighborhood with leaflets of information about the school to get community support from our neighbors for various asks and was able to work directly with the Ravenswood community leaders to acquire discretionary funds from our local politicians to secure over $1,000,000 for upgrades to our school. Our school began reaching out to serve our community as well. Our school worked with the Chicago Food Depository where a mobile pantry came to Ravenswood every month to serve families within our community who needed food. Our school became a choice for parents as an alternative to Chicago Park District programs for before and after care as well as summer camps. We donated our space regularly to community organizations to hold meetings and partnered with the church right next door to provide space for their congregation.
Being a regular part of a community has made both the community and the school stronger. I believe that it truly takes a village to raise children, and by partnering with one another, we can be extremely strong. I know how deeply this community cares about preserving culture and heritage, and I am committed to honor these values as a principal. Culture is something that needs to be embraced and embedded within the fabric of a school, and this is my hope for St. Hilary.
I value each voice and perspective, and understand that it takes everyone’s best thinking and ideas to make a school great. A leader can’t lead alone, and I am certainly no exception to this fact. In my experience, the best ideas come from many heads working together to come up with the best thinking possible. I am all in on creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels accepted and valued, and I can’t wait to have the opportunity to be on this journey with you. I am dedicated to continuous improvement and honoring the expertise, experience and efforts of the staff, students and their families. Students are at the center of every decision I make, and I am committed to engaging and preparing all students for success beyond school. As principal, it is my goal to model and inspire the same ideology in those I serve. I am honored and humbled to have this opportunity at St. Hilary School and am very hopeful about working with all of you to make this school the best it can be!
For your children,
Heather Connolly