DeKalb schools welcome 3 new school administrators

DeKALB – A new school year brings new roles for three school administrators in DeKalb schools.

DeKalb School District 428 has named Sherry Dority as principal of Tyler Elementary School, Ben Erickson as assistant principal of Tyler Elementary School and Amy Sayed as assistant principal of Huntley Middle School, according to a news release.

Dority has been employed by the district since 2022 and previously served as assistant principal at Tyler Elementary School. Shey is assuming a position left vacant by Jennice Turner, who resigned in March. Dority’s first day as principal was July 31. Dority holds a Bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Bradley University and a Master’s degree in early childhood education and curriculum from Chicago State University and in Educational Leadership from the American College of Leadership. She also is a National Board Certified teacher in reading and language arts, according to the release. In the past, she worked for Chicago Public Schools as a teacher and assistant principal for 17 years and several years in the south suburbs of Chicago in various educational roles.

Dority said she is hoping to build on relationships she’s formed with those in her building to positively impact student achievement.

“I am excited to begin my role as principal of Tyler Elementary because I will be able to have a direct impact on student learning,” Dority said in the release. “Working together with teachers and students, our focus will be on setting goals to improve the educational environment and instructional content, which leads to improved learning outcomes for our school.”

Erickson graduated from Illinois State University in 2006 and went on to start his teaching career a short time later as a second-grade teacher in Bloomington. Since 2018, he’s been a fourth grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School. Erickson has been involved with the district outside of teaching serving on the curriculum council, English and language arts curriculum team, school improvement, positive behavior interventions and supports green and yellow teams. In the past, he also was a representative of the Parent Teacher Association, a building mentor and a cooperating teacher. In 2021, Erickson was honored with the Wirtz Award for Excellence in Education. He also earned his Master’s degree in Educational Administration from Northern Illinois University.

“I’m excited to become the Assistant Principal at Tyler Elementary and join a great team that is eager to make a positive impact this school year,” Erickson said in the release. “I’m also very community-minded and look forward to establishing a strong relationship with the Tyler families. My wife and I have three daughters who attend three different schools in D428 (Lincoln, Huntley, and DHS). We love the DeKalb community and are glad to call it our home!”

Sayed holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and another degree in secondary English education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She holds prior experience working in education and the mental health industry. Sayed earned a Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership from Aurora University. She is in the middle of her 19th year in education. This is Sayed’s third year working for DeKalb schools.

“I am extremely excited about my new path as an assistant principal for Huntley Middle School,” Sayed said in the release. “I aspire to promote the district’s mission to meet the needs of all of our students, and I look forward to working with our families and developing lasting relationships. I also look forward to promoting staff growth and development while modeling teamwork and cooperation.”