Elmhurst Benefited From Principal's Leadership

This letter to the editor is from Elmhurst resident Katie Marsico:

From roughly 2016 to 2021, I was one of the leaders of a parents' advocacy group that, at its height, numbered roughly 1,000 people. Regardless of whether I sought out the moniker, I often found myself referred to as a "critic of District 205." Yet, so many years later, I would like to step forward to give the district credit--in my humble opinion, it never did anything more wise or in the best interest of students and parents than hiring Jim Pluskota as principal of Edison Elementary.

My children were fortunate enough to benefit from Mr. Pluskota's leadership and guidance from 2010 through 2021. As a mom of seven, I can attest that each one has his or her own unique strengths and weaknesses. Without fail, Mr. Pluskota understood these distinctions and consistently worked to cultivate their best qualities and capabilities while helping them navigate through whatever challenges they faced. He was always available to my husband and myself if we had a concern, and I can't think of a moment when I didn't feel confident leaving my family in the care of the staff that he oversaw.

When I left District 205 at the end of the 2021 academic year, I often joked that I never would have gone if Mr. Pluskota could clone himself and thus accompany my children as they progressed through middle school and high school. If I have one regret in leaving the school district, it is that my two youngest daughters never had the opportunity to attend Edison while he was there.

Nevertheless, even they will benefit from all the good that Mr. Pluskota has brought to our community . . . because, thanks to him, that good has intrinsically become part of who my eldest five children are. While he may be retiring, all that he has given to Elmhurst families is still very much at play and will remain cemented in our schools district's identity.

Speaking just for the Marsicos (and even as a formerly notorious critic of District 205), we are grateful to him, will miss him, and will never forget him.