Principal shuffle: Sean Sterner tapped for head role at McHenry High Freshman campus

Sean Sterner was set set to become assistant principal at McHenry High School’s Freshman Campus, taking a role left open because of a retirement.

Then Jeff Prickett, principal at McHenry Community High School District 156‘s Upper Campus, announced he’s taking a job at Grayslake‘s Meadowview Elementary School. Lower Campus Principal Greg Eiserman was tapped to take over for Prickett.

That left Sterner in line for the top job at the east-side campus.

Sterner said he feels ready to step into the role overseeing 550 students at a school that houses the freshman class, noting he’s been the district’s summer school principal the past five years.

“Our summer school program enrolls 1,000 students each summer,” Sterner said. “I’ve been engaged in running a building for six weeks out of the year, and that has been invaluable.”

Having him step in as summer school principal allows the building principals to focus on getting ready for the upcoming school year, Sterner said. The program also ensures students in the “third semester” summer program are getting what they need.

“People hear ‘summer school’ and they think it is ‘failed a class,’” and having to retake it, Sterner said. Instead, students are getting their driver’s ed out of the way, or taking a “get-ahead” course. Some of the more popular classes include Issues of the 21st Century, an introduction to social sciences, along with courses on health education, food and government.

“It is a mix,” Sterner said.

Superintendent Ryan McTague credits Sterner with growing the summer program. “Sterner’s curricular, operational and overall leadership experience make him the perfect candidate to join the Freshman Campus building leadership team,” McTague said.

Sterner started his career as a social sciences teacher and for the past several years has been the social science division chair. He will have to step down as coach of the varsity girl’s golf team, a role he’s had for 11 years.

“That was really hard, giving that up,” Sterner said of the coaching position while praising the team and their families. The team won its conference in 2023 and has made it to sectionals “a couple of times.”

District 156 again has started a search for a new Freshman Campus assistant principal to replace Terry Fitzgibbons, who is retiring at the end of the 2024-25 school year.