Editor’s Note: This article also appeared in the Winter 2024 Edition of Benet Connections.

In April 2024, Benet Academy selected Mrs. Sheri Costello as its seventh Principal. Previously a longtime math teacher at Ridgewood High School in suburban Norridge, in the past decade, Mrs. Costello has held Assistant Principal positions at three different schools, most recently at the nearby Lisle High School. Already in her first year, Principal Costello has shown unwavering commitment and dedication to the students and faculty of Benet Academy.

To provide further insight into Principal Costello’s wealth of knowledge in high school leadership, Benet Academy students John Augustyn ‘25, the Editor-In-Chief of the Benet Herald, and MaryGrace Bracken ‘26, a Section Editor of the Herald, conducted an interview to shed light on her perspectives regarding how to strengthen the Benet community.

Can you divulge a bit about what led you to a career in education?

I have wanted to be an educator since I was about three years old. My teaching career has proven to be a wonderful career for me, but I want to work with teachers, adapt to their needs, and make their lives better, rather than just being in the classroom setting for the whole day. Being a student in a Catholic high school previously, I have a profound understanding of community and know the extreme meaning of belonging to a group that is united in the common purpose of serving God. I am a profound believer that we as administrators do our best work in schools when we make sure our students’ needs drive the way that we innovate.

What is one message you’d like to share with students and their families as they get to know you?

You are important to this community. You can achieve great things. My job is to get to know you and help you achieve those great things, regardless of background. Benet is fundamentally about what you want to get out of our community and where you want to go afterward.

What opportunities do you see for the school to grow or innovate? 

I want to see our school continue our high expectations for academic achievement. We can keep growing by pushing our students to be leaders and great, effective communicators. The world needs people who can first dream but more importantly, work together to achieve something. Benet has incredible students who will grow by us offering opportunities to take advantage of their extreme gifts. I wish for young adults, both of the talkative and shy types, to be recognized in ways that are meaningful to them. Benet’s mission is to give students all of the tools for self-confidence, communication, and problem-solving to succeed in our different, ever-changing world.

What do you consider the most rewarding moment of your career so far?

Rather than just a moment in time, I look towards experiences that I want to be able to repeat in my life. Working with teachers is one of my favorite things to do. When I have the joy of assisting new teachers who come into my office and share their challenges and help them grow and progress as a teacher, I truly feel good about the work I do every day. When they tell me how much they’ve grown, when they experience success in the classroom in a way that the students notice, that is when administrators like myself know that we are doing right.

Is there a piece of advice or motto you live by that guides your leadership?

For me, it’s not about being the smartest person in the room but rather about asking the right questions. Because I am a math teacher at heart (and always will be), I have a deep love for spreadsheets and all kinds of data. I like to ask questions about what we know and how we know it for a fact. I am pleased to work with people who have deep historical experiences at Benet and instilled into them the acclaimed educational practices of this community, and there is a match that I have been able to make in terms of the instructional practices that I was exposed to in the past two decades in the field of public education. Leadership must be about finding solutions and building teams that work together. It’s not about being “correct” or simply standing in front. It’s not supposed to be about me.

If there’s one thing you could accomplish to make your time as a Benet principal a success, what would it be?

To me, I saw students at public schools work hard, shake hands, succeed, and yet leave that experience behind as though high school never made enough of a meaningful impact to call it “home”. Joining the Benet community should not simply be for four years of your life, but rather, it should be for a lifetime. If there’s one thing I could accomplish as Principal, it is that I want every student to view Benet as a community where they are supported. I want to give them the right learning in those four years that not only results in future success but instills in them a joy that they will be able to give back to make our community greater and more impactful in this world.