The Mundelein District 120 School Board on March 10 approved hiring Dr. Art Vallicelli as the new Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Schools, effective July 1.

Vallicelli, currently the principal of Woodstock High School, will provide district-level leadership in curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional learning for grades 6-12. He will directly supervise the principals at both Carl Sandburg Middle School and Mundelein High School, ensuring better support and clarity in secondary schools. It will play a key role in the Shared Services model for Districts 75 and 120.

“We’re thrilled to have Dr. Vallicelli join our team,” said Dr. Corey Tafoya, Superintendent of Districts 75 and 120. “His experience, demeanor, and dedication to student success are exactly what we were looking for in this position. His ability to create relationships will be beneficial in so many ways.”

Vallicelli is expected not only to help guide programming at Mundelein High School and Carl Sandburg Middle School, but to collaborate with other middle schools feeding into MHS from Fremont District 79, Diamond Lake District 76, and Hawthorn District 73. He said he wants to provide support to all those who work with the students.

“This is a great opportunity,” Vallicelli said. “The key years for students are when they start at a new school. So, for ninth-graders, this is an opportunity to really evaluate how we help with these transitions, not just academically, but socially and emotionally as well.”

While the Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Schools is a new position, it is not an additional administrative position. Vallicelli will fill the void when Assistant Superintendent Anthony Kroll retires in June.

The job is a shared services position between District 120 and Mundelein Elementary School District 75. The District 75 Board will consider approving the hire at its March 16 meeting. 

A native of Elmhurst, Vallicelli received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Wisconsin in 2001, a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Illinois in 2003, and an Education Doctorate in Curriculum Leadership from Northern Illinois University in 2012.

He began his teaching career at Bernotas Middle School in Crystal Lake before becoming an English teacher at Woodstock High School in 2005. In 2013, he was named assistant principal at Woodstock High School, and in 2018, he was named principal. Under his leadership, WHS became the highest-rated high school in McHenry County.