Jon Baffico was attracted to his new job as principal of Wilmette Junior High School by the school’s “community feel,” he said.
Baffico said the same thing drew him to his previous positions at four schools over the last 29 years, including 25 years as a Catholic school teacher and principal and four years as an assistant principal at Algonquin Middle School.
“There was never anything in particular that moved me from one school to another, other than just being part of a community, family feel – and that is important to me,” he said. “What drew me here was a similar feel.”
Baffico called Wilmette Junior High, at 620 Locust Road, the “flagship school” of Wilmette Public Schools District 39.
“This is unique. We have a middle school and this is a junior high. What’s unique is we operate a little like both,” he said. “We’re helping prepare students for high school and beyond. There is a tremendous responsibility and pride and community feel to the school.”
Baffico served as principal of St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights for the last three years and before that as principal of St. Patrick High School in Chicago for nine years. He started as a math teacher and coach at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein for 13 years.
“The communal aspect definitely resonates at Catholic schools,” he said. “I don’t have a preference (between public and Catholic schools). I believe I was chosen here because I have high school experience and I have middle school experience, so I understand the team approach behind both concepts.”
Baffico said his most important goals as principal are building community, providing transitional support, helping meet and identify goals under the district’s strategic plans, and restoring school traditions that were lost during the pandemic.
“By building a sense of community with students, faculty and parents, you work on establishing relationships with people,” he said. “If you don’t have really good relationships, it’s hard to accomplish mechanical tasks.”
Baffico wants to help create good transitional tools for students moving from Highcrest Middle School, which serves fifth- and sixth-graders, to the junior high, which serves seventh- and eight-graders.
“There should be a crossover between the two,” he said. “They should feel very similar.”
District 39 recently completed one strategic plan and is launching a new one this year, Baffico said.
“I want to be able to assist and help solidify goals established by the strategic plan as we finish one and begin another this year,” he said. “It will be great to have my input as we build toward the future.”
Baffico plans to create a committee to help identify some of the traditions and parts of the school’s culture that were lost during the pandemic.
“I’ve heard bits and pieces,” he said. “I don’t know exactly what that looks like yet. I will find out more when everyone comes back to school.”
The school has already built a high-achieving student community with very supportive parents who have provided the resources to support that growth, Baffico said.
“What we need to work on, from a leadership standpoint having some consistency, is systematically trying to figure out ways to find out if we have good processes, so during transitions they are seamless,” he said. “That’s not to say they are not seamless, but just that there might be pieces we can strengthen moving forward.”
One significant change this school year will be the addition of an extended homeroom period – about 25 minutes – every day, he said.
“This is to allow more social-emotional learning support and intervention support for students,” Baffico said. “From a curriculum standpoint, that is an important piece happening. But it’s not new. Just the time allotted for it will be new and consistent.”
Baffico has three daughters, a senior at the University of Colorado, a sophomore at the University of Illinois and a junior at Libertyville High School.
School starts in District 39 on Aug. 20, with an early release, and the first full day of school is Aug. 21.
