At the December 18, 2024, Board Meeting, the Riverside School District 96 Board approved a one-year contract for Chris Harvalis as the principal of Hauser Junior High, effective July 1, 2025. He will replace the current principal, April Mahy, who will be retiring at the end of the 2024-25 school year.
A familiar face to many, Chris started as a long-term substitute in the district in 2008. He was quickly promoted to fifth-grade teacher at Ames and later moved to Hauser as a math teacher. In 2020, Chris was hired as the assistant principal at Hauser.
With his long history in D96, a handful of current and former colleagues and his family joined last night's meeting to share in the celebration. This reflects his strong relationships with students, staff, and the district and, ultimately, why the internal search committee selected him. Chris was consistently described throughout the focus groups as approachable, supportive, and student-centered.
Chris will continue to build on those strengths and says, “I am most excited about the opportunity to continue working with the amazing staff at Hauser and the people in this community that I have been lucky to be a part of for a long time. I will continue to provide opportunities for students to test their interests and talents to learn about themselves and provide resources for our staff to grow as educators.”
Staff members also appreciated the continuity and stability that will come with Chris’ continued leadership as April plans for her retirement. After 10 years at Hauser, which brought significant improvements in the school's overall climate and culture, April is excited for the work to continue through Chris. She looks forward to staying busy and spending more time with family, especially her grandson (with another arriving in January!).
A spring event is anticipated for Chris to meet with the community. In the meantime, he can be reached at harvalisc@district96.org. Join me in congratulating Chris if you have the chance.
When the vacancy is posted on December 19, a formal process of recruiting, interviewing, and selecting the next high-quality assistant principal will begin.