St. Laurence High School has hired Kristy Kane as the school’s next principal. She will replace Jim Muting, who will retire as principal effective July 1, 2021. Kane and Muting will work alongside each other for the 2020-21 school year to allow a full year of transition.
Kane, the third lay principal and first female principal in St. Laurence history, brings nearly 20 years of experience in education to St. Laurence—15 in a Catholic school environment, eight of which have been as an administrator. She most recently served as assistant principal and dean of instruction at Aurora Central Catholic High School.
“For the past seven years, I have gained a great deal of experience in curriculum development and feel blessed to have the opportunity to transition to a principal’s role at St. Laurence,” Kane said, noting that “St. Laurence is devoted to developing an educational culture that fosters higher order thinking skills while still focusing on the growth of the whole person.”
Kane led Aurora Central’s project based learning program, providing students more authentic and engaging learning opportunities. Kane also spearheaded dual credit partnerships with colleges and universities, along with a professional development partnership for teachers with Loyola University Chicago. Notable accomplishments include doubling the number of students taking advanced placement classes while adding new classes as the AP coordinator and increasing interest in the sciences among female students through curriculum modifications she implemented as assistant principal.
“Kristy was the ideal choice to be our next principal because she demonstrated that she would fit immediately with our culture and challenge us to grow in excellence as an academic institution while also putting our students first,” said St. Laurence’s president, Joe Martinez.
Kane emerged as the top candidate after a national search conducted by Patrick Callaghan of search firm HR Partners and led by principal search chairwoman Mary Tolan, founder/managing partner of Chicago Pacific Founders and trustee for Loyola University Chicago and the University of Chicago.
She lives on the South Side with her husband, Joe, a Chicago Police sergeant. She earned her master’s degree in instructional leadership from Loyola University Chicago and her bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in secondary education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She also previously taught at Rosary High School and Mount Assisi Academy.
St. Laurence is located at 5556 W. 77th St. Log on to stlaurence.com or call (708) 458-6900.