The District 300 Board of Education has approved Devon LaRosa as the next Principal of Dundee-Crown High School in Carpentersville.

LaRosa presently serves as executive principal of Auburn High School in Rockford, where he has achieved success working collaboratively with his staff to develop meaningful and practical instruction that engages 21^st century learners. LaRosa also worked to focus on issues that often preclude academic success by targeting truancy, tardiness to class, low student engagement, and student discipline.

Prior to his role as executive principal, LaRosa spent two years serving as vice principal of curriculum and instruction at Jefferson High School in Rockford. He also spent three years teaching history courses at Jefferson High School and a year teaching social science to pre-service teachers at Northern Illinois University. In addition to his full-teaching schedule, LaRosa assumed leadership roles in organizing freshman learning academies, sport eligibility tutoring, ACT and PSAE test preparation, and after school tutoring.

“Mr. LaRosa has a proven track record of success,” said District 300 Superintendent Fred Heid. “He has an impeccable understanding of Dundee-Crown’s needs and has achieved remarkable success with similar demographic settings. With his proven ability to promote student outcomes, I firmly believe that Mr. LaRosa will continue advancing Dundee-Crown High School in the right direction.”

LaRosa graduated from Rockford University with a Bachelor of Science in History. He holds two masters degrees from National Louis University, one in Curriculum and Instruction and one in Academic Leadership. He participated in the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Leading 21^st Century High Schools Institute and is a doctoral candidate at Aurora University

LaRosa will succeed Dundee-Crown Principal Lynn McCarthy who has served as principal since 2006. McCarthy’s tenure is respected for her ability to establish a supportive community committed to academic success and college and career readiness, officials said.

“Mr. LaRosa shares many of Ms. McCarthy’s core values,” Heid said. “He will work to honor the great practices and culture Ms. McCarthy has developed. I am excited to watch Mr. LaRosa build meaningful relationships with staff, students and the community to ensure Dundee-Crown continues its tradition of excellence while embracing new opportunities to advance academic achievement.”

SOURCE: District 300 press release