Nick Filipowski, the new principal at Percy Julian Middle School, hasn’t wasted any time getting to know the D97 community ahead of his July 1 start date.
Already having attended the last board of education meeting, held on May 14, Filipowski told Wednesday Journal it was important to be part of the conversations.
“I would much rather engage than disengage,” Filipowski said. “It’s only through engagement and communicating with each other that we truly find success for our students and for their children.”
He is already trying to learn as much as he can and is aware of the recent student-led walkout, along with the most recent safety concerns vocalized by both parents and teachers.
“I haven’t lived here every day, I haven’t lived the culture,” he said. “But the way that I work and make sure a school works is that the community has to find that solution together. What is the issue we are addressing and what is the path forward, it has to be a collaborative process.”
Filipowski began his career in education as a general music and choir teacher, earning a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Illinois.
He worked as a general music education teacher and a choral music teacher in Chicago Public Schools as well as Highland Park before moving into curriculum support for teachers.
He is currently finishing up his time as the associate principal of Thomas Middle School in Arlington Heights School District 25, where he has been since 2019. He has also served as principal for their summer school for six years.
Filipowski stepped into that role right before the COVID-19 pandemic, where he said he was “trialed by fire.”
“I am now thankful for that experience,” Filipowski said. “There was no light anywhere and no one to help us because no one knew how to do our jobs at that moment, but I think that has turned me into such a strong leader.”
Filipowski said he learned to pull from available resources, collaborate with people and figure out how to work together for the betterment of students.
“That makes me ready to come in and hopefully lead this building in a positive direction,” he said.
D97 caught his attention for its strong focus on equity and inclusion, he said, adding it was the first time in his career he could openly share during an interview process that he is a gay man. Before he would have felt like he was going to be “pigeonholed,” he said.
“That feeling of welcoming and care was so important,” Filipowski said. “That is who I am, and it is a lot of the work that I have done in District 25 and specifically at Thomas, is that equity and inclusion work. That match felt welcoming and good.”
After the district released the principal profile used to make the hiring decision, Filipowski said he felt like the district “was looking for him.”
“I felt really encouraged, seeing that and all the work that had happened prior to me even knowing the position was posted,” Filipowski said.
Luis Fernando De León, assistant superintendent of middle schools at D97, said the district was looking for someone who “places students first, collaborates closely with teachers, and engages our community to achieve equitable outcomes.”
“As we spoke with Julian students, families, and staff during the principal search process, their desire for a leader who fosters a welcoming, safe environment while enhancing academic success was clear,” De León said.
Filipowski’s leadership, practices, and communication aligns with those values, De León added.
“Over the past several months, Mr. Filipowski has already begun to meet members of our community and has been working with our middle school leadership team to ensure a smooth transition, including with Interim Principal Lee, Brooks Principal April Capuder, our associate principals and student success coaches, teachers and staff,” De León said. “Together, we look forward to a strong start to the 2024-25 school year.”
When it comes to “larger systemic issues,” he calls for student engagement and for staff to think about ways to learn, change practices, and change procedures.
“How do we engage our students, so instead of feeling the need to walk out, they walk in and say, ‘I have something that I need help with,’” Filipowski said.
Part of that collaborative work is already happening, he said, as the district is looking for ways to address issues of psychological safety, physical safety, and cell phone use.
“Sometimes when problems are that big, they are that emotional and really hit at our hearts, we can get stuck in problem identification and what is really encouraging is that everyone is now in ‘how do we problem solve and look for solutions,’” he said. “I think those solutions are really coming to a surface today now how do we start to address these concerns and have a new beginning with our new school year.”