Maine
Niles West educator to become principal of Maine South High School in Park Ridge
Maine Township High School District 207’s board of education announced the new principal for Maine South High School in Park Ridge on Monday, and he’s a local pick.
They selected Antwan Babakhani, assistant principal for student success at Niles West High School in Skokie, was selected for the job out of 42 applicants, according to a District 207 spokesperson.
“Antwan impressed the interview teams with his comprehensive understanding of educational leadership, collaborative mindset, and deep commitment to supporting and empowering students,” said incoming superintendent Tatiana Bonuma. “We are excited to welcome Antwan and look forward to the future as he embarks on this journey to promote student success at Maine South.”
To narrow down the pool of applicants, four rounds of interviews were done with students, parents, teachers, support staff, school administrators and district administrators, according to the district. Officials also used focus groups and surveys to create a principal profile to help find the best candidate.
“I am honored and thrilled to serve as the new principal of Maine South High School,” said Dr. Babakhani in a news release. “It is a privilege to join this vibrant community of students, educators and staff known for its commitment to excellence in education, inclusivity and fostering a supportive environment where every student can thrive.”
Babakhani has been Niles West’s assistant principal since 2013, and had been a dean of students for a year prior. From 2009 to 2011, Babakhani was the assistant principal of curriculum and instruction at Amundsen High School in the Chicago Public Schools. Babakhani teaches asynchronously as an adjunct professor at Concordia University.
Babakhani earned his his bachelor’s degree in English Education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He earned his master’s degree in reading and doctoral degree in educational leadership from Concordia University.
Babakhani’s base salary is $188,000 and will begin the role as principal on July 1. The district had been seeking a new principal for Maine South after former principal Ben Collins accepted a position as superintendent for Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year. Maine South started the school year with interim principals Steve Isoye and Mike Pressler
It wouldn’t be Mother’s Day without a stop at the florist.
According to Fox Business, about 154 million flowers are sold during the week of Mother’s Day. So it’s safe to say it was a busy day for stores like Estabrook’s Maine Garden Center and Nursery.
Plenty of families stopped by to pick out flowers on Sunday, looking to choose the perfect bouquet for their moms.
“I think Mother’s Day is tradition, you know, and so it’s great to see families here. We have a lot of new families that have come today for the first time with their young children and their mother. Watching the young kids and seeing how excited they are—their eyes light up at all the beautiful flowers,” Tom Estabrook, president of Estabrook’s, said.
Estabrook says Mother’s Day tends to be a great kickoff to the spring season.
The Maine Baseball Team was swept by UMass Lowell in the weekend series, losing on Sunday 5-4.
UMaine scored 3 runs in the 5th inning and 1 in the 6th inning to lead 4-1, but the Riverhawks scored 2 runs in the 7th and then pushed across the tying and winning runs in the 9th inning for the win.
Thomas Stabley started for Maine and went 6.1 innings on the mound. He allowed 5 hits and 3 runs, striking out and walking 1. Owen Wheeler pitched 1.2 hitless innings striking out 2. Sebastian Holt pitched the 9th and took the loss, allowing 2 hits and 2 runs, the big hit a 2-run homer to Nicholas Solozano, his 2nd of the day.
Hunter St. Denis homered for Maine, a solo shot, his 9th of the season, in the 6th inning.
Albert De La Rosa was 2-4. JuJu Stevens , Shane Andrus, Quinn Murphy and Chris Bear each singled.
UMass Lowell is 19-27 while Maine is now 17-30.
The Black Bears will host Merrimack on Tuesday, May 12th in a non-conference game at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on 92.9 The Ticket with the pregame starting at 1:30 p.m. Maine then closes out the regular season at home with a 3-game America East conference matchup with Albany Thursday- Saturday.
Check out photos from the game
Maine-UMass Lowell Baseball May 10
The Maine Black Bears hosted the UMass Lowell Riverhawks on Sunday, May 10th
Gallery Credit: Chris Popper
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