By Dermot Connolly
When Kerry Dolan took over as principal of Jones College Prep High School in October, her first order of business was meeting with faculty, parents, and students in order to get to know the community.
Jones is a selective enrollment high school with nearly 2,000 students, located at 700 S. State St. in the South Loop.
Dolan succeeded Joseph Powers, whom the Local School Council removed from his position last November for allowing a student to wear a Nazi uniform at a Halloween party and because of claims of unlawful student restraint.
The Nazi incident, and Powers’ perceived inaction afterward, led to a student sit-in, and students raised allegations of discriminatory policies including improper restraint. Powers retired from the Chicago Public Schools in June.
Jones “is definitely a lot more fast paced than at my previous school,” Dolan said. “The principal is a hot commodity here. It has really been thrilling getting to know our school community.”
Top qualifications
Dolan, who has two master’s degrees—for teaching from Dominican University and teaching English as a second language from Concordia University—came to Jones after spending five years as assistant principal at Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep in the Roseland community, which has half the number of students as Jones.
Earlier in her career, she served a one-year residency at Nobel Elementary School as part of a principal development program; taught French and other subjects at Hubbard High School in the West Lawn neighborhood and at Fenger High School in Roseland; and taught English as a second language in Paris, France.
“I wanted to be a French teacher, but I wanted to be a better one,” said Dolan, explaining her decision to teach in France for a year.
Describing herself as a lifelong North Sider, Dolan grew up mainly in Rogers Park. After graduation from Lincoln Park High School, she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ithaca College in New York.
As a member of the Teach for America program, which puts outstanding teachers in low-income areas, she taught at a charter school in the neighborhood around the Cabrini-Green housing development.
Since the LSC removed Powers last November after 13 years as principal, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez appointed retired CPS principal Arthur Slater to take over temporarily as administrator.
At Jones, “they are looking for the principal to be present and engage with the faculty and students and parents,” said Dolan. “I plan to have an open door policy.”
She held a townhall meeting with students soon after her hiring.
“I intend to continue having meetings like that with everyone,” she said.
Definitive vote
Dolan signed a four-year contract to lead Jones, with nine LSC members voting for her and one abstaining.
Jason Knupp, a parent representative and chair of Jones’s LSC, responded to Gazette Chicago’s questions with his personal views and said they may not reflect the board’s opinion as a whole.
Asked if the past controversies have been put to rest now, Knupp said, “Hiring a new principal does not, in and of itself, eliminate controversy. We are hopeful that with new leadership that the Jones community can come together and support Ms. Dolan and the administration and we can create a positive environment for all students, staff, and community.”
Dolan acknowledged hard feelings may remain among some in the community about what occurred before she arrived.
“Obviously, when you bring in a new person, there may be some disagreement,” she said. “A lot of people felt that everyone was not on the same page,” referring to all the groups that make up the school community. “I think the LSC was looking for someone who would be proactive. I have been working with everyone to make sure we are all aligned,” she explained, noting she holds weekly meetings with faculty and staff.
Knupp expects Dolan will make an effort to build bridges to connect the Jones community’s various factions and work to repair any lingering issues relating to previous difficulties and miscommunication..
“We found Ms. Dolan to be very knowledgeable about the situation at Jones and believe she will be great at building community,” said Knupp. “At this time, we have no new initiatives as we want to allow Ms. Dolan to get settled in her new role and give her time to better understand the Jones environment. Once she has time to settle in, we will look to implement new initiatives.”
For more information, log on to www.jonescollegeprep.org or call (773) 534-8600.