Dr. Chris Silagi (’03)

Dr. Chris Silagi has been hired as the new Assistant Superintendent of Student Services of Community Unit School District 200.

The news was announced on Community Unit School District 200’s Facebook page. The post reads as follows:

The Board approved Dr. Chris Silagi as the next Assistant Superintendent of Student Services. He will supervise elementary principals and will oversee Social Emotional Learning implementation district-wide. Additionally he will work collaboratively with the Department of Student Learning, especially in the area of staff development, and he will oversee the District’s Wellness, Before and After School (BASP), 504 and homeless student programming. Dr. Silagi will replace Dr. Joanne Panopoulos who accepted a position in New Trier after seven years of service in District 200.

Dr. Silagi has been the principal at Whittier Elementary for the past eight years. While in District 200, Dr. Silagi has been in several leadership capacities including professional development, especially in the area of Social Emotional Learning and has served on the District’s Collective Bargaining Team, Compensation Study Team, Next Generation Science Standards Adoption Team and District Improvement Team. Prior to joining District 200, Dr. Silagi served as the principal of Bristol Grade School in Yorkville, the assistant principal of Rhodes School in River Grove, taught 5th grade in Indian Prairie 204 and 2nd Grade in Barrington 220.

Dr. Silagi received his B.A. in Elementary Education from Illinois Wesleyan and completed all of his graduate and doctorate work at Northern Illinois University.

While Dr. Silagi will certainly miss the children, staff and parents in the Whittier school community, he is excited for the new opportunity. “I am looking forward to supporting our leadership team and teachers as we continue to grow a culture of learning in our District,” says Silagi.

Congratulations, Chris!

Professor Elizabeth Balser

We are very sorry to inform you that Professor Elizabeth (Susie) Balser,  faculty member in Biology for more than 20 years, passed away last month following an extended illness. Susie was recognized as an expert on the anatomy of echinoderms. Her passion for invertebrate animals inspired the creation of three new courses at IWU. Both as an instructor and as a research mentor, Susie challenged students to carefully study the natural world and make their own discoveries.

All In For Wesleyan

Tuesday, April 3rd is our day of giving at Illinois Wesleyan and this year’s theme is
Think Bigger!
Not only is today a day for giving, it’s a day to celebrate IWU and all of the things that make it special.  Last year, our class had 26 donors, let’s try for 32 this year!  We contributed $2617. Our goal for this year is $3000! Think of the impact this can make for IWU students and their families!

Click here to learn more and to donate on Tuesday, April 3rd.
Help spread the word using #AllInForWesleyan and take advantage of our social media toolkit.

Michelle (Dionne) Ertel ’03

Michelle (Dionne) Ertel ’03 recently completed her Doctorate of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) degree from Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia (MTSA). She is currently serving as the Interim Assistant Director at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) Nurse Anesthesia Program while maintaining clinical practice at Belleville Memorial Hospital.
Congratulations, Michelle!

Dan Bucek ’03

Dan Bucek ’03 was selected to serve as Cirque du Soleil’s sports medicine and chiropractic provider for their latest ice show, “Crystal”, while in Chicago. Dr. Bucek is also a provider for US Soccer and serves as a rotating chiropractic sports physician for Team USA, providing elite athlete care at their Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. His private practice is located in Batavia, IL.

Congratulations, Dan!