Bill Normand returns to Romeoville educational roots

ROMEOVILLE – Bill Normand is a team player. There is no other way to describe the Martinez Middle School assistant principal, who has been teaching and coaching most of his life, according to the district news release.

He is a product of Valley View School District 365U, attending Irene King Elementary School, what was West View Middle School – now Martinez – and Romeoville High School. Normand is the oldest of six children.

“I always felt like I coached all of them,” he said in the release. “I knew I wanted to be a teacher and coach.”

Normand’s own athletic experiences as a two-time state wrestling qualifier at West View, an All-Conference wrestling Team MVP and captain at RHS and an All-CCIW wrestler at Millikin University, helped prepare him for a career that began as a physical education, health and driver’s education teacher, as well as a golf and wrestling coach at Riverton High School near Springfield.

Fifteen months later, he found out about a driver’s education opening at RHS.

“I don’t know if it was a goal or a dream to come back, but when the opportunity presented itself, I took it,” he said.

Normand worked 10 years at Romeoville High School, including a year in PE, seven in driver’s education, and two as a dean. He coached football, golf, baseball and, of course, wrestling, where his teams won several conference titles. He also was co-sponsor of the SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) organization and was a sophomore class sponsor.

When the opportunity to become Martinez assistant principal arose 18 months ago, he began his journey toward his goal of someday becoming a district-level administrator. But, given the fact that his teaching experience was at the high school level, it was an adjustment for him, especially because he couldn’t coach anymore.

“I miss interacting with kids on a daily basis," he said. "But I try to get out among them here as much as I can. Middle School kids are great. They’re at a crossroads in their lives, and with the right coaching and the right motivation, they can do really great things.”

Normand calls himself a players coach, attempting to get the message across that “continuous effort and hard work will never fail you.” It may not yield immediate results, he believes, but students who keep moving forward will eventually get to where they want to be.

He’s delighted with his role at Martinez, terming his relationship with Principal Sarah DeDonato “a good partnership” that focuses on their respective strengths, resulting in a “team effort which I really appreciate.”

Normand got a taste of what it’s like being a principal when DeDonato was on maternity leave for 12 weeks during the fall and early winter; he said he really enjoyed leading a building.

Does he see Valley View in his future?

“I’m a proud product of the Valley View school system, and now I’m living it every day,” Normand said. “I don’t want to be anywhere else.”