Principal's Message
CAT & CAL Parents,
The 2023-2024 School year brings me to my third year of principalship and I am just as excited as I was when I was offered and accepted the position. Although we have made so programmatic changes, we are still two schools one campus. I am devoted to ensuring that students in both buildings have access to educational and cultural experiences that will challenge and help to grow their minds and their humanity. School is more than textbooks. School is connection and experiences that will help develop students into productive citizens. The staff that I am pleased to work alongside of is equally as devoted to ensuring student success.
One major change this year has been the change from Freshman Academy to Junior Academic Scholars Institute (JASI). We are now an upper-level campus with programing for third- and fourth-year students. JASI and Virtual Success Academy (VSA) will help students to get back on track for senior year or complete credits and obtain their high school diploma. For the past two years, VSA has boasted 100% on time graduation and I am extremely proud. We aspire to keep that trend going.
One constant is our outstanding Career and Technical Education offerings. Automotive, Collision & Repair, Construction, Culinary and Electrician programs are housed at our campus with students traveling from TF North and TF South to take part in these educational opportunities.
I originally joined the District 215 staff in 1995 and have held several positions; the principalship being most challenging and rewarding. I grew up in East St. Louis, IL and attended Lincoln Senior High School. After graduating high school, I attended University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, where I majored in English Education. In 1999, I graduated with my master’s degree in Leadership and Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago. I recently finished all my coursework for a doctoral program and submitted my comprehensive exam in Educational Administration and Foundations (EAF) at Illinois State University.
My parents instilled in me the importance of goal setting. Set both short-term and long-term goals, reach them and set new goals. I hope to share that skill with our students and staff, as we model, in our own ways, what that looks like with students in order to help them reach their full potential. This will allow us to provide precision support when needed and celebrate our victories together.
My educational philosophy is equity based, with the understanding that we have one goal of educating youth, but we must provide each student what is needed for them to reach their idea of success.
I look forward to working together with the students, parents, faculty, staff, and the local community. With all of us working together, there is nothing that we cannot accomplish!
Educationally,
Raymond Williams- Proud Principal of CAT and CAL​
