Norridge, IL — September 16, 2020 — Ridgewood High School District 234 is pleased to announce we have welcomed two new administrative leaders into the Principal and Assistant Principal positions.
Our students will notice that these new administrators are familiar faces. Gina Castellano (previous Assistant Principal) has taken over the Principal position, and our new Assistant Principal is Eric Lasky (previous STEM division head).
Castellano was previously the Assistant Principal for the 2019-2020 school year and the Dean of Students, which she has served as for 4 years prior. She has been at RHS for the past 15 years; 9 as a school counselor and one as Interim Director of Student Services. Before that she was an elementary school teacher for 7 years. Castellano earned a B.S.Ed from Loyola University Chicago, a master of Arts in School Counseling from NEIU and a Master of Arts in School Leadership from Concordia University, Chicago. She is also a National Board Certified Counselor.
Understanding the culture and having invested so much time and energy into D234 made her the perfect candidate for this position.
“Throughout my 15 years, I have worn a lot of hats. I was a School Counselor, Director of Student Services, Dean of Student, and Assistant Principal. Each role brought its own rewards and challenges,” said Castellano. “I knew being Principal would combine a lot of my strengths and give me an opportunity to use all the many skills I have learned over the years to serve students in a larger capacity. “
Despite the ongoing pandemic, Castellano is overjoyed to be taking on this new position.
“I am really excited about continuing my journey at Ridgewood High School. I am starting my 15th year here and love our kids so much! I look forward to more collaborative opportunities with colleagues, chances to dialogue over best practices, to work through the unknown of a pandemic, and to share in the excitement of our students as they move forward in their lives and their learning,” said Castellano.
Castellano’s promotion created a vacancy in the Assistant Principal role, leading to the hiring of Eric Lasky.
Eric Lasky has dedicated his career to education for the past 21 years. He spent sixteen years as a teacher and the last four years as the STEM Division head. Lasky holds a Bachelor degree in Math Education from Illinois State University, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Olivet Nazarene University and a Masters in Educational Leaders from American College of Education. He is currently working on his Doctorate; he has currently completed two chapters of his Dissertation and is on track to be finished by June 2021. He is also a National Board Certified Teacher. Fun fact: Lasky attended flight school and reached the point where he can fly planes on his own. He also has his advanced open water scuba-diving certification.
During his first ten years of teaching, he coached three sports, announced all home football games and was the student council sponsor. Lasky coached Track and Field for one year, Baseball for 13 years, Golf for 17 years (4 at RHS) and Basketball for 17 years (4 at RHS).
Lasky was an extremely motivated candidate, which helped him land his new role as Assistant Principal.
“Over the last four years, I have been able to work with great people in the school, in the state and nationally. Many of them have challenged me to go outside of my comfort zone, allowing me to grow. I have learned so much from so many different people I have been around and it has given me the confidence and motivation to do more,” said Lasky.
The 2020-2021 school year will be a school year like no other. We are positive that we have identified the right people to represent and carry forward the vision set by the Ridgewood Community.