Grayslake North introduced new staff members this school year, including Gabrielle Devlin, the new head of the English learner (EL) and equity department for the district. 

“Grayslake North has been pretty cool; I really like the community vibe. The leaders are curious people and open to what might be, which I think is an important quality to have,” Devlin said. 

Mrs. Devlin is not a teacher, so her day to day work looks different from a regular staff member who may work at Grayslake North. 

“My normal day consists of meeting with different groups, department head chairs, and my own English department. My whole job is more all around. I don’t teach, but I support the teachers which in turn passes down to them supporting their students and having the tools to be able to support them,” Devlin said.

An equity director is not the most common name heard in a school environment, but the job is a very important one.

“I have 16 years of experience in total. Having an equity teacher is important because it creates the role of one organizing person. So previously, many different groups will have ideas but won’t communicate with each other or don’t have a way to. I’m that cohesive person to connect the conversations and further the plan,” Devlin said. 

Mrs. Devlin has been enjoying her time at Grayslake North so far and has many plans for the future of the school and for District 127 in general. 

“I have high expectations for the school. I believe that getting to deeply know the students leads to high-level success. My plan for the EL department is to have it become a model for other schools around us and have people come to us to see what they can change and improve on,” Devlin said.

A new EL and equity leader is a great new addition to the Grayslake North community and brings new educational opportunities.

“Since this job looks different than a teacher’s job, I don’t get to be with the kids, which I miss the most,” Devlin said.