At the end of the school year Principal Ray Epperson will leave his position at North, and move to a new district position.

       “The new position is kind of a combination of things, there will be several new principals in the district next year, so part of my responsibilities will be to mentor those people,” said Epperson.

       Epperson will also be able to act as principal for schools within the district if a principal has to take an extended absent.

       With having 31 schools in District 202 superintendent Lane Abrell has been looking at creating this position for a while, as a lot happens over the course of a school year, said Epperson.

       Epperson has been an educator for the past 34 years, and with that he has achieved experience at both the elementary and high school settings making him a perfect candidate for this new position.

       “I could go to pretty much any building in the district and help run things smoothly,” said Epperson.

       For the past three years Epperson has been working towards his doctoral degree in Education Leadership at Northern Illinois University. He finishes up the program in the spring of 2016.

       About a month ago, as part of the program Epperson took the Superintendents Exam, the exam needed to become a Superintendent in the state of Illinois.

       The test is comprised of three, 100-point tests. One needs to score a minimum of 240 to pass. He was able to score 284 points, receiving a 100% on the communication and community relations portion according Epperson.

       Epperson has been at the helm of North for seven of the ten years the school has been open.

       “It actually doesn’t seem like it has been seven years at all,” said Epperson, “I was at Liberty Elementary for three years before and it seems like I was there a couple years ago.”

       Being at North for so long and seeing it transform Epperson has mixed emotions about leaving.

       “There are a lot of great things happening here at Plainfield North and I am fully confident those are going to continue,” said Epperson.

       Over the seven years test scores and academic behavior have both risen making North the top school in the district.

       “Over the past seven years we have really solidified most of those things and the building is in a good place,” said Epperson, “and I am certain it will continue in the positive direction.”

       After 35 years teachers can retire with full benefits, Epperson is nearing his minimum for retirement.

       “I still think I’m a young guy, but technically probably not, I’m healthy and I love what I’m doing,” said Epperson, “I haven’t ever really thought about retiring, just looking at a variety of options.”

       Options could range from becoming a Superintendent, to being a college professor, to going and being a principal at a private school like the previous District 202 superintendent Dr. John Harper did.

       “I’m still not sure what I want to be when I grow up,” said Epperson.

Epperson’s new doctoral degree and his previous experience, will help open more doors toward higher positions.

“I’ve always been involved in the education process for students who were three years old all the way up to adults,” said Epperson.

       The search for someone to replace Epperson’s position will happen quite quickly, as the position will most likely be posted as available in the next month and three to four weeks after interviews will start to begin.

       “I see some internal candidates that would be strong for the position,” said Epperson.

       A unique opportunity for students will come when the interviews begin.

       “Typically for a high school principal position students are involved in the process,” said Epperson, “I encourage students to get involved.”

       As for teachers, Epperson sees the district sending out a staff inventory to see what characteristics are favorable among the staff population for the principal. He also encourages staff to get involved with the hiring process.