administrator

Chicago Heights School District 170 has announced that Diane Kostovski, Caleb Valentin, Joseph Silvestri, and Safiyah Malvin will assume new administrative positions for the 2021-22 school year.

Kostovski will serve as Principal at Garfield School, replacing Dr. Maricela Clark, who will become the district's Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction beginning in July.

She previously worked in the district as an Instructional Coach, SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) leader, and classroom teacher, and served on committees involving curriculum, textbook adoption, and math initiatives.

Valentin will be the Assistant Principal at Garfield where he has worked as a classroom teacher for the past 18 years.

He served as a member of Garfield's Leadership Team, facilitated professional development activities at the district level, and participated in various curriculum and instruction initiatives.

Silvestri will serve as the new Principal at Washington-McKinley School, replacing Dr. Gretchen Sutherland, who has assumed the post of district Curriculum Director.

He has been the school's Assistant Principal since returning to the district in 2018. His prior experience includes a stint as Dean of Students for Midlothian SD143 and as a classroom teacher and coach.

Malvin will be the Assistant Principal at Washington-McKinley, a school from which she graduated.

She has worked in the district as a STEM (Science, Technology, Math, Engineering) and classroom teacher, and most recently, was a Science and Technology Instructional Coach at the Chicago Heights Middle School. She also led weekly technology professional development sessions to best prepare teachers for remote and concurrent teaching and participated in the science textbook committee, and leadership teams.

"We are very excited about welcoming Diane, Joe, Caleb, and Safiyah to their new administrative roles," said Superintendent Tom Amadio.

"Their talent, knowledge, enthusiasm, and commitment will ensure the continuation of the tradition of offering the students at Garfield and Washington-McKinley Schools a superb learning experience."