A tribute to Jerry Succes from Willard Elementary School teachers

Editor’s note: Below is the full text of a tribute article that many Willard Elementary School teachers penned in honor of Jerry Succes, who served as the Willard assistant principal for the last nine years. To read more about Succes, read our profile of him and his career here.

“He is known as the heart and soul of Willard School.” There is no better compliment to give a person and that is just how Jerry Succes has been viewed during his nine years as Assistant Principal of Willard School. Jerry Succes will be deeply missed and Willard will never quite be the same without him.
 
Jerry grew up in the Evanston/Skokie neighborhood. He, along with his family members, attended District 65 schools, Walker, Chute and ETHS.

Jerry has since dedicated his entire career to District 65, totaling over 30 years of service in various capacities. He has served as a lunchroom supervisor, childcare worker, reading specialist and administrator. Jerry has worked at every building in District 65. He spent five years at Walker and two years at Oakton as a reading teacher, two years as Haven’s summer school co-principal, and one year as Kingsley’s summer school principal.

Jerry was the assistant principal at Oakton for four years and then landed at Willard as assistant principal for an additional nine years. According to Jerry, “Building healthy and trusting relationships is essential to morale and school success.”

He made the decision early on to not just stay in Evanston for a job, but for his career. His wife, also an ETHS graduate, returned to Evanston after college and is currently an educator at Chute.  Jerry says, “Evanston is a great place to live, work, and raise a family.” Now Jerry watches as his own son attends Chute Middle School.

Jerry’s brother is also a long time teacher at ETHS and has followed the family tradition of remaining committed to the community. Outside of teaching, Jerry has devoted his time to coaching and attending several community events.
 
Jerry always had an amazing work ethic. He went above and beyond for everyone he knew.

During the pandemic, Jerry delivered everything you could think of to families.  This included hotspots for internet, computers, books, food, furniture, and more. Jerry always made things happen. He is a pillar and integral part of the community who makes a daily effort to make not just Willard, but Evanston, the best it can be.

He has aided and encouraged educators in attending conferences, professional development, and classes to better themselves.

He helped with programs so teachers could observe one another for added support, feedback and growth. Jerry had even gone the extra mile and personally driven teachers to other schools so that they may gain experience from seeing other classrooms.

Whether it is needed sub coverage, recess/lunch support, or teaching assistants, Jerry fought to make sure Willard had everything it needed to be successful. He could even be seen subbing himself in classrooms, joining in celebrations like the 100th day of school, and being outside with the kids on the playground. 

He had even been spotted at soccer and sporting events, cheering on our students. Whenever important issues arose Jerry was available and followed up immediately with staff, families, and our students.
 
Jerry is a man who is loved and respected by the Willard community. He was always there to offer support, guidance, and even a joke to make you smile. His compassion and understanding has made him an ideal boss.

As a staff we knew that if we ever needed anything for our classrooms, students or even in our personal lives, we could count on Jerry to help and get it done.

His humane and humorist self makes him approachable. Jerry believes in working as one, collaboration, and most importantly trust. His leadership and feedback is always appreciated and wanted. No matter what your job is at Willard, he makes you feel valued, respected, and welcomed. His resume objective states, “To continue in my role as Assistant Principal of Willard School and to utilize my educational and professional experience to create a safe learning environment and set performance goals for both students and teachers.”

Jerry Succes is what every administrator should strive to be.

Grateful Educators