Glenbard West welcomes Ms. Sara Kush as the new Assistant Principal of Instruction, with nearly two decades of educational experience and a lifelong dedication to learning and helping students.
Ms. Kush hails from Oakbrook Terrace and in school was a very motivated student, discovering her passion for teaching early on.
She received a Bachelor’s degree in English/Language Arts Teacher Education from Illinois State University. While working as an English teacher, she continued her studies and earned her Master’s in Education from the University of Illinois.
Interestingly, Ms. Kush spent 10 years of her teaching career at Glenbard West’s long-standing rival, York High School. Looking back, she says that “the green never felt right, so I feel like [West] is the green that I needed. The York green never felt like home, it wasn’t the right fit.”
She then became the English Department Chair at Glenbard East for 8 years before coming to Glenbard West.
What sets Glenbard West apart for her is the “level of community involvement both in the building and in the broader community that just kind of wraps its arms around West, that I think is really unique to this building.”
The campus also stands out to her because the amount of nature and outdoor access “just sets a different morale for kids, and for staff, and for everybody to see trees and tall beautiful windows” throughout the day.
Outside of work, Ms. Kush enjoys camping, live music, playing with her dog, and spending time with her partner and three kids.
She says that the most fulfilling part of her job is “working with students, being around students, listening to their world and what’s going on with them and what they’re struggling with, what they’re enjoying and just all the ins and outs, that’s always felt like home to me.”
She emphasizes that relationships with students and parents are the foundation of everything because they are so integral to the learning process. Ms. Kush explains that “in order for students to really have the best experience, if a working relationship exists between families and the school, it’s all the better for students.”
As Assistant Principal of Instruction, she aims to “be intentional about trying to make myself visible in spaces where students are,” and wants “students to know that my door is always open.”
