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Schools

Evanston Star Takes New Role at OPRF

In assistant principal role, Chala Holland will focus on curriculum and professional development.

A 32-year-old administrator and former teacher from Evanston Township High School will become ’s first assistant principal for instruction.

By a 5-1 vote, the school board Tuesday approved hiring Chala (pronounced Shay-la) Holland at a salary of $118,000. The lone opposition to the hiring was Sharon Patchak-Layman, who said she wanted to hire someone with more experience.

Holland’s appointment, which begins next month, takes place as part of an administrative restructuring in line with the team OPRF Supt.  had as principal of Maine East High School, he said. 

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Holland will work with division heads on curriculum and professional development, OPRF principal Nathaniel Rouse said. One area she is likely to work on is the achievement gap, which school board members and the community have said has not been dealt with as aggressively as it needs to be.

She has an amazing set of skills, Rouse said. “She’s personable; she has a great mind,” he said.

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Holland’s appointment will allow Philip Prale, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, to work on state and national matters affecting OPRF. “She will be a good asset to the team, Prale said.

From what school board president Dietra Millard has heard, OPRF is fortunate to have recruited her. “She comes very highly recommended,” she said. “She’s quite a leader.”

Holland got her bachelor’s degree in education at Northwestern University. She earned a master’s in education from DePaul University and is getting her doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Illinois Chicago.

She worked at ETHS for 10 years, serving first as an extracurricular academic support advisor and then a history and social studies teacher from 2002-2009. In 2008 she was one of only two Illinois teachers to win an Award of Excellence in the Early Career Educator category.

Most recently, she was a principal intern and now served as the director of Academic Supports. She has been the summer school principal the last two school years.

Among her accomplishments during her tenure at ETHS, Holland served on the professional development leadership team and provided instructional coaching to teachers and department chairs. She also designed curriculum for various courses in the History Department, according to her resume.

Earlier this year, she helped develop the Wildkit Academy, a Saturday School program that allows students to receive academic support in math, science and history.

Holland said is looking forward to the “endless potential” in this opportunity. “I want to make (OPRF) a place where all students can experience academic success and make that part of the school’s tradition,” she said.

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