Longtime Cicero administrator brings 15 years of principal experience to new placement

Cicero District 99 is pleased to announce Jennifer Evans as the new incoming principal for Sherlock Elementary School, effective July 27.

2025 marked Evans’ 30th year in for Cicero District 99, as well as reaching her milestone 15th year as a principal, which she’s served at Daniel Burnham Elementary School — both at the original building (which was closed to make way for a new early childhood center) and at the smaller Burnham School, which is closing at the end of this academic year. Evans’ long-standing history at Burnham also includes time spent as a sixth-grade teacher.

While at the helm of Burnham, Evans helped lead the school toward achievement of being named a Solution Tree Model PLC school in the fall of 2019 — an accolade which is given to schools which have demonstrated educators working collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for their students. 

Evans’ credentials include a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Illinois State University, completion of Spanish studies at the Universidad de Granada (Spain), and a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Illinois Chicago. She also holds endorsements in ESL, science, social studies, language arts, art and is completing her Learning Behavioral Specialist I endorsement for special education. 

Alongside traditional academic studies, Evans is also dedicated to the practice of yoga for educators, having completed both a 200-hour yoga certification as a social-emotional learning facilitator and a 300-hour yoga certification as a trauma-informed educator.

Evans looks forward to her new role at Sherlock providing a fresh opportunity for leadership while upholding the school’s positive culture of collaboration and community centeredness. 

“I’m truly excited and honored to work closely with the families and community in the Sherlock area,” she said. “I strongly believe in the value of students participating in the Dual Language program, and I’m committed to supporting them every step of the way. I look forward to helping each student grow into the best version of themselves. Becoming fully biliterate is not only an incredible personal achievement, but also a meaningful contribution to our society.”