Post by title1parent on May 24, 2009 5:16:05 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/1588864,alan-leis-retirement-party_na052309.article
Leis looks forward to retirement
May 24, 2009
By RUTH MOON Special to The Sun
When Mike Jaensch was in the Air Force, District 203 Superintendent Alan Leis was the kind of leader he looked up to.
Jaensch, president of the District 203 school board, spoke Friday at a retirement party in Leis' honor. He said Leis lives out the qualities of a good leader that Jaensch first saw when he served in the Air Force.
"Every time I see Alan make a hard decision, interact with a parent, with a student, with staff, teachers, councilmen, anybody — I keep coming back to these core values," Jaensch said. "Integrity first, service before self, excellence in all we can do — Alan personifies these."
May 22, 2009, was announced as "Alan Leis Day" in Naperville, by proclamation of Naperville Mayor A. George Pradel, who returned early from vacation to be at the event.
"We hope you'll enjoy retirement," Pradel said. "That's what it's all about — family and what you've accomplished for others."
About 100 people were at the event, including Leis' daughters and son-in-law. The party theme was "Dr. Seuss" — evident everywhere in the Naperville NAME Ballroom, from the Cat in the Hat-themed name tags to the red, black and white balloons to the cake, which featured a photo of Leis and several students all wearing huge, red-and-white striped "Cat in the Hat" hats.
Leis has a reputation for loving Dr. Seuss. He said that reputation began in his previous district when the superintendent wouldn't dress up as the Cat in the Hat for a Dr. Seuss day, so Leis volunteered.
The party entertainment — a surprise for Leis — was a series of presentations by colleagues and friends with appropriately themed Dr. Seuss books as an accompaniment. The books included "Oh, the Places You'll Go," "The Cat in the Hat" and "You're Only Old Once: A Book for Obsolete Children."
During Leis' six-year tenure in Naperville, School District 203 began a $115 million project to expand Naperville Central High School and Mill Street Elementary School, build an early childhood center and renovate Naperville North High School.
Now that he is retired, Leis said he will stay in the area, but first he plans on taking his first three-week vacation in a long time. He'll also spend some time learning to be unscheduled and "non-anal," which he described with a laugh as "extremely difficult."
"As much as I look forward to retirement, I have come to absolutely love this school district," he said. "It's absolutely amazing, and I've had the opportunity to work with so many great people."
Leis looks forward to retirement
May 24, 2009
By RUTH MOON Special to The Sun
When Mike Jaensch was in the Air Force, District 203 Superintendent Alan Leis was the kind of leader he looked up to.
Jaensch, president of the District 203 school board, spoke Friday at a retirement party in Leis' honor. He said Leis lives out the qualities of a good leader that Jaensch first saw when he served in the Air Force.
"Every time I see Alan make a hard decision, interact with a parent, with a student, with staff, teachers, councilmen, anybody — I keep coming back to these core values," Jaensch said. "Integrity first, service before self, excellence in all we can do — Alan personifies these."
May 22, 2009, was announced as "Alan Leis Day" in Naperville, by proclamation of Naperville Mayor A. George Pradel, who returned early from vacation to be at the event.
"We hope you'll enjoy retirement," Pradel said. "That's what it's all about — family and what you've accomplished for others."
About 100 people were at the event, including Leis' daughters and son-in-law. The party theme was "Dr. Seuss" — evident everywhere in the Naperville NAME Ballroom, from the Cat in the Hat-themed name tags to the red, black and white balloons to the cake, which featured a photo of Leis and several students all wearing huge, red-and-white striped "Cat in the Hat" hats.
Leis has a reputation for loving Dr. Seuss. He said that reputation began in his previous district when the superintendent wouldn't dress up as the Cat in the Hat for a Dr. Seuss day, so Leis volunteered.
The party entertainment — a surprise for Leis — was a series of presentations by colleagues and friends with appropriately themed Dr. Seuss books as an accompaniment. The books included "Oh, the Places You'll Go," "The Cat in the Hat" and "You're Only Old Once: A Book for Obsolete Children."
During Leis' six-year tenure in Naperville, School District 203 began a $115 million project to expand Naperville Central High School and Mill Street Elementary School, build an early childhood center and renovate Naperville North High School.
Now that he is retired, Leis said he will stay in the area, but first he plans on taking his first three-week vacation in a long time. He'll also spend some time learning to be unscheduled and "non-anal," which he described with a laugh as "extremely difficult."
"As much as I look forward to retirement, I have come to absolutely love this school district," he said. "It's absolutely amazing, and I've had the opportunity to work with so many great people."