O’Neill Middle School principal says ‘adios’

As a sophomore in high school, O’Neill Middle School Principal Matt Durbala knew he wanted to work with children, but he wasn’t initially sure in what role.

“I either wanted to run an outdoor education camp or be a teacher,” Durbala said. “And, it turns out, an outdoor ed camp manager doesn’t pay very well. So I decided I wanted to be a teacher.”

With construction and woodworking as hobbies, Durbala started out in 1990 teaching wood shop and metal shop, as well as driver’s education, at Minooka High School before landing a teaching job at Haines Middle School in St. Charles in 1993.

Durbala then began teaching at Wredling in St. Charles when the building opened in 1995.

With the school district’s rapid growth came the need for a second assistant principal at Wredling, so Durbala threw his hat in the ring for the opening.

“It seemed like the perfect time to move into administration,” he said.

Durbala got the job in 2001, and two years later became assistant principal at Thompson Middle School in St. Charles, a position he held until 2005 when he took over as principal at O’Neill.

Durbala recently retired after spending nearly two decades in the Downers Grove Grade School District 58 role.

“I’ll be retiring on my 55th birthday,” he said. “I’m definitely going to miss the job, but I’m really looking forward to being able to retire at a young and healthy age. My wife is semi-retired and works from home, so we’re going to be doing a lot of traveling, which is something we enjoy.”

As for what he’ll miss the most about walking into O’Neill every day?

“The students and the staff. Our kids in District 58 are just such good kids. They make every day enjoyable and their families are so involved and supportive,” he said. “And the staff…it’s something really unique we have here in how supportive they are of each other and pull together to do whatever needs to be done.”

Lauryn Humphris has been named the new principal at O’Neill, effective July 1.

She currently serves as the assistant principal of Edison Middle School in Wheaton Warrenville District 200, a role she has held since 2016, according to a news release. Previously, she served several years as a teacher, team leader, professional learning community leader and instructional coach in School District 45 in Villa Park and Lombard.

She also held leadership positions in the Villa Park Education Association and

Illinois Education Association. Humphris holds a master’s degree in School Leadership from Concordia University, a master’s degree in teaching and leadership from Saint Xavier University and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Augustana College.

Additionally, Humphris is an alum of O’Neill Middle School as well as District 58′s Fairmount Elementary School.

In a news release, District 58 Superintendent Kevin Russell said the interview process comprised several rounds of team interviews with staff, parents/guardians and administrators as well as surveys identifying the characteristics most desired in the new principal.

“Ms. Humphris excelled throughout a very competitive interview process,” Russell said in a news release. “The interview teams described Ms. Humphris as enthusiastic, hard-working, student-centered and dedicated. Additionally, her references noted that Ms. Humphris is a strong leader who works closely with teachers and support staff to achieve great outcomes for students. She values staff input and will go above and beyond for all stakeholders. We are beyond excited to welcome her back to her hometown.”

Humphris said she has fond memories of her time at O’Neill Middle School and is grateful for the education she received.

“I am thrilled and honored to return as the school’s principal,” she said in a news release. “I look forward to meeting the students, staff and families, and working together to make O’Neill the best it can be.”

O’Neill students and staff recently honored the outgoing principal with a “DurbAdios” Assembly.

“We have four spirit assemblies throughout the year that we call activity assemblies,” Durbala said. “So with the “DurbAdios” Assembly, there was trivia about me and games that were related to me. It was a lot of fun. I loved it.”