Great Expectations School welcomes new Director Rachael Lehman

 

Jennifer Carollo Fischer

The 2021-2022 school year will bring with it many positive changes. Among those will be a new leadership role after 16 years for Great Expectations School, a public charter school in Grand Marais. Rachael Lehman will be taking over for Peter James, as School Director after July 1 and is enthusiastic about her new place within the Cook County education system.

With big shoes to fill, Mrs. Lehman expressed how fortunate she feels to be making a thorough transition into the school, its culture, and the community it lies within. Lehman expressed, “People are invested and want to be here,” when speaking about the teachers, students, and families she has already had the pleasure of meeting.

Rachael grew up in southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. “Summers and holidays spent “Up North” and on relative’s farms created my love of nature and respect for the environment. I headed to Minnesota for college and earned both my Bachelors (Elementary Education) and Masters (Educational Administration and Leadership) degrees from St. Cloud State University. After receiving my bachelor’s degree, I moved to northern Minnesota to begin my teaching career,” Mrs. Lehman shared.

Great Expectations School welcomes new Director Rachael Lehman

Lehman, with a solid background in education, has had various experiences in academic settings and explained, “As an educator, my passion has always been about empowering tomorrow’s leaders through high standards, strategic instruction, and intentional relationships. I have been actively involved in providing best practice programming in both traditional and alternative settings for over 20 years, first as a teacher-leader and most recently as a principal. In 2019, I lost my father unexpectedly at the same time of becoming an official “empty nester.”

I decided to take time off to focus on helping my mom settle into her next phase while reflecting on what I wanted my next chapter to be. Last spring, I was excited to see the posting for Director of Great Expectations because of its positive reputation in the Alternative Education community and, of course, the opportunity to live and work in Cook County. (A nature lover’s dream come true.) I am thrilled to have been chosen to be part of the Great Expectations team!”

When asked what she would most like to say to the community, Mrs. Lehman responded, “Thank you for the warm welcome I have received from the school community and community at large. I look forward to meeting more folks and becoming more involved in the community.” She also added, “When you enter our school one of the first things you see is a mural which reads, “Growing hearts and minds one child at a time”. I look forward to continuing the tradition of having this statement guide our decision making and planning processes as we navigate the building expansion and the growth of our middle school program.”

In her free time, Rachael enjoys spending time outdoors. Hiking, photography, gardening, water sports, and snow sports are a few of her favorite activities.

Wonderful things are indeed in the works for Great Expectations School, and it seems Rachael Lehman is the perfect person to do the job and to do it well. She will undoubtedly be a valuable, welcome addition to the Cook County community and school system.