Schools

District 308 Principal to Switch Schools

Old Post Principal Jodi Ancel will move to Lakewood Creek for next school year.

Old Post Elementary School Principal Jodi Ancel is staying in Oswego School District 308, but she'll get a new gig starting July 1.

Ancel is slated to take over as principal of Lakewood Creek Elementary School in Montgomery. Interim principal Dr. Lisa Smith, who is the district's Director of Elementary Education, will stay on at the campus until Ancel begins her new role, according to the district.

Oswego School District spokesman Brian Graves said Keith Griffin, who was named Lakewood Creek principal last summer, is now assistant principal at The Wheatlands Elementary School. Graves did not immediately respond to a message from Patch asking why the staffing change was made.

According to the district, Barb Garrison will also continue in her position as Lakewood Creek's assistant principal. Smith, Ancel and Garrison "will collaborate through the remainder of the year to ensure a smooth transition," according to a press release from Oswego School District.

“Jodi Ancel is the right leader for this position,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matthew Wendt said in a press release issued Wednesday. “We wanted experience, stability and quality, and with great pride, I am pleased to recommend her to the Board of Education.”
 
Ancel joined School District 308 in 2005 as assistant principal at Fox Chase Elementary after 18 years as a middle and elementary school teacher in Plainfield District 202. She was quickly appointed principal at Old Post Elementary School, according to the district.
 
She has a bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University and a master’s degree from Northern Illinois University. She is also a member of the elementary math task force, the Rights and Responsibilities Committee, and the Board’s Teaching and Learning Advisory Council. She resides in Plainfield with her husband, John, and their sons, Jay and Jake.
 
“I am thrilled to become part of the Lakewood Creek community,” Ancel said in a press release from District 308. “After working in Oswego for the past nine years, I have had the good fortune to meet and work with some of the Lakewood Creek faculty, students, and families at a variety of district events. They are caring and dedicated to what is best for the kids.”
 


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