Taya Kinzie, the outgoing principal of Evanston Township High School and assistant superintendent of ETHS District 202, said she has always bled blue and orange. 

Her children, sisters, mother, grandmother and great grandmother all attended ETHS, Kinzie explained, establishing a unique connection to the city’s lone high school.

A social worker by profession, Kinzie has worked at ETHS for over two decades and has served as its principal since 2022. She will officially exit her role June 30 and will be replaced by Quiana McNeal, the director of curriculum and equitable practices at nearby Township High School District 214.

Following the conclusion of District 202’s academic year, The Daily sat down with Kinzie to learn more about her experience at ETHS and future plans.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

The Daily: You’ve been at ETHS for a while now. What about this particular moment made you decide to step down as principal?

Kinzie: Yes, it’s been a while — 21 years officially, plus one year as an intern in 1997. It’s truly been an honor to be at ETHS for as long as I have. 

In my heart, I’ve always been a social worker, and I came into ETHS as a social worker. In every role I’ve held since then, I always begin by announcing “I support” — I support ETHS, I support student services, I support the dean’s office. The position is really not my focus. 

The Daily: Reflecting on your time as principal, what are your biggest accomplishments?

Kinzie: At ETHS, we do things together. We never make unilateral decisions — we always gather input from students, staff and families, and we have increasingly focused on considering social emotional learning as a fundamental part of the school’s academic environment.

I’m very proud of how we’ve worked to ensure people’s physical safety while promoting a culturally responsive SEL curriculum that includes all identities and centers racial equity. I know that as we continue to focus on these things, we will help students both engage further in the classroom and feel a greater sense of belonging.

I do believe that students learn in every space in our building — in the classrooms and in the hallways, too. You can’t extricate SEL from the learning process. These are lifelong skills that we all have to have. 

So I’m proud of how we’ve embraced that fact in our post-high school planning, racial equity work and strategic goals. We’ve implemented new security badges, the “Bell-to-Bell No Cell” policy and continued to expand SEL professional development opportunities. 

The Daily: What are the biggest challenges facing ETHS moving forward?

Kinzie: One thing that’s so important is how administrators pay attention to what students need. How are we engaging students and creating that sense of belonging?

It’s easy to say, but how are we building connections in the hallway? I have believed forever — and the research bears out — that every single connection really does count, whether it’s a quick, “Hey, how are you?” or a deeper conversation or relationship. 

We need that warmth and love, but adolescents benefit from structure and consistency as well, so it’s important and incumbent upon us to remain committed to those principles while getting creative with new interventions.

The Daily: A lot of our coverage this year has focused on the implications of national politics on school policies, including executive orders regarding diversity, equity and inclusion programs and debates that took place at this month’s ETHS District 202 Board of Education meeting.

The superintendent has delivered the district’s official responses to these developments, but how do they impact the principal’s day-to-day work?

Kinzie: Even from that larger perspective, the important work is paying attention to our students’ needs. How are they showing up? How are they shifting?

How are we being responsive to our students’ identities and really problem solving together? Gathering student input is so critical, and that’s something I’ve been committed to over the past few years and well before that.  

I stand by our values, and we will continue to problem solve together because that’s what we do as a community.

The Daily: Is there anything else you want to add?

Kinzie: It’s fun to think back to my grandmother, who was a teacher’s aide at ETHS for two decades. Right now, I feel like I’m honoring my ancestor who has already passed, and that makes my heart full. 

I showed up every day with my whole heart committed to problem solving and building connections because I believe ETHS is the center of our community, and I’m really excited that I’m going to continue to support the school as a social worker in private practice. 

Email: [email protected] 

X: @jdowb2005

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