The administration this year has been nothing less than awesome. Every administrator has been caught smiling and interacting with the students, and the students have taken notice. The outstanding support from the principal, assistant principals, dean’s office, and athletic office makes the school a better place to learn.
Students do not dread talking to the deans because although the deans are intolerant of misbehavior, they are also reasonable and sociable. In fact some enjoy speaking with the deans. The deans who were here last year continue their outstanding work while spreading their wisdom and energy to our two new deans Ryan Flanagan and Bryan Radavich.
Returning deans this year include Mike Briscoe, Taveras Crump, and Lisa Smith, and they have made an effort to keep the school environment safe by not allowing students to endanger themselves or anyone else. Rich Golminas, who is in charge of the deans, oversees all necessary actions and keeps students safe. He knows how to interact with all sorts of students and has made it clear what the expectations are for different eventsby explaining consequences for possibly misbehavior or unmet expectations. Detective Kneller is the ultimate anchor of the deans office, who upholds not just the law but the respect of the students in this school. He knows how to balance relationships but stay serious when he needs to be.
Principal Bob Yanello made his mark this year as principal by going the extra mile to make school more enjoyable for students. He knows how to maintain that balance between school and fun. This was displayed when the students received TCBY for their behavior during homecoming week. He previously told students that if they behaved well during homecoming week, there would be a reward for it. He pulled through! On behalf of the students at Plainfield South- thank you for making this year enjoyable. Yanello also has two new assistant principals to help spread the excitement and energy throughout the school.
New assistant principals Kristi Boe and Phil Pakowski have stepped into their roles and have done a fantastic job. They interact well with the students while making sure our students make responsible choices. They both are very respectful and do not talk down to students because they understand students have a lot to deal with during the school day. They both were teachers at one point. Boe taught Government for 10 years, and Pakowski taught chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology Honors, and Forensic Science. Both APs are more reasonable with students because they know some days in this school are better than others. They treat the students like young adults instead of children.
New athletic director Ken Bublitz has done a great job transitioning from a dean to athletic director. He also brought his team to the playoffs this year as head coach. Bublitz success in the athletic office is partially due to the hard work and dedication of Leah Carter who helped Bublitz transition this year. The two of them have worked extremely hard to maintain the logistical planning of every single sports event in the school . They also monitor academic eligibility and make sure there is a way for teams to get where they need to be when they have competitions at other places besides South.
Overall, the administration has done a tremendous job by communicating with students in a positive manner, enforcing rules to maintain a safe school environment, and by making Plainfield South a great place to be.