The halls of Benet Academy are quiet but not for much longer.
A fresh school year kicks off this week at the high school in Lisle, 2200 Maple Ave., which will bring hundreds of eager students and a new principal.
“I am thrilled to be at the front door, to meet kids, ++and to see these smiling faces come in,” said Costello. “And I’m a mom, I’m a veteran educator, so I know that they’re not all as excited as I am.”
Earlier this summer, Sheri Costello started her new role as Benet Academy’s principal, the seventh in the school’s history.
“It has been a wonderful and very busy summer,” Costello said. “I have been delighted to meet with over 75 people individually who have opted to come in and spend time meeting me. I’ve gotten to learn about so many people, their passion, the connections to Benet Academy.”
Costello starts a new role across town
Costello comes to Benet after a five-year stint as the assistant principal of Lisle High School, only a three-minute drive from her new school.
“Being in a small community like Lisle, you get an opportunity to get to know people,” Costello said. “Lisle High School is a small space, so it’s very exciting to know that people are not a number, you can really get to know them. Coming to Benet, I see that the legacy and the experiences of people here, you have that same idea of knowing each other, you have that same idea of commitment.”
Costello started her education career in 1998 at Ridgewood High School, where she worked for 18 years as a math teacher and division head.
“I started to move into administration but was still in the classroom,” said Costello. “That was an awesome place to experiment, try things, and work in different ways with kids. I just learned how much we have to meet kids where they are and take what they can give us. Find their excellence, find their strengths, and then use it to move them to the next level,” Costello said.
After years in teaching and administrative positions at four different schools, Costello landed at Benet. She said her five kids and husband have been supportive of her career move.
“People have said in my family, ‘It’s about time, Mom, this is what you should be doing,’” said Costello. “And I truly appreciate that. I have a wonderful, loving husband who is very supportive of me.”
“A home run” hiring for Benet
Another person in her corner is Bill Myers, who for the last year, performed the duties of both president and principal. He’s excited for Costello to take the wheel on day-to-day operations around the school and called her hiring “a home run.”
“(Costello) came into the room with great presence, confidence, she knew education in and out,” said Myers. “She had a vision of where Benet should be going and (is) a person of deep faith.”
With the president, principal, and rest of the school’s staff settled ahead of the new academic year, Costello is excited to hit the ground running when the freshmen arrive this Thursday.
“We cannot serve students, we cannot run schools if we are not all in it together… I’m grateful that I am in this role, and that I get to be part of this community,” said Costello.
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