Sarah Solheim is putting the soul back into Niles West as she joins the deans department for the 2024-25 school year  taking the place of Amy Tucker as the dean of students. Solheim previously worked at Round Lake High School as a social worker before coming to West.

Solheim began her career as an English teacher ten years after graduating high school, but later decided to become a social worker. She worked at Round Lake High School for the past nine years, sharing a department with deans and counselors. She considered applying to be a dean at Round Lake but changed her mind when the opportunity came about at Niles West.

As Dean Solheim enters her first year, she explains how she believes deans should be involved in students’ school lives.

“The deans, I believe, are first and foremost advocates for the students, well deans get a bad rap of being disciplinarian…but I think the deans are a part of a student’s whole team with the counselor and the social workers, I’m just really trying to help students make their way through high school,” Solheim said.

In high school Solheim was not a straight-A student, she focused on her interests– theater and choir. She wanted to be the kind of teacher who could have helped students like her get through years of schooling. She got a license to be a school social worker, an in effort to communicate with students, rather than being a disciplinarian.

Dean Solheim has ideas of what an ideal dean should be and how they could help any and every student around the school.

“I think the deans are a part of a student’s whole team with the counselor and the social workers like I’m just really trying to help students make their way through high school,” Solheim said.

Assistant Principal of Operations Steve Parnther was a part of the team of teachers and deans who interviewed candidates and chose Solheim at the end of the process as a fit for West.

“Dean Solheim just had an extensive experience, she’s a licensed social worker…I’m looking at somebody that may not have the typical dean experience…I think she comes with a unique experience as being a licensed social worker,” Parnther said.

At the end of the interview process, a few candidates are left and interviewed by Principal Jeremy Christian to secure the final decision.

“I know she has a background in social work, so I believe trying to merge the social work piece…of [being a dean, with the formal consequence piece of being a dean]–that was something that the team was looking to diversify our team,” Christian said.

In her free time, she is an avid runner with many hobbies. She enjoys baking, crocheting, hiking, gardening, spending time in nature and hanging out with her family and dog.

Solheim shares what excites her about this school year.

“I think it’s going to be fun working in a different capacity in the school because I’ve been an English teacher [and] a social worker and I’m excited to work on this side of things, working with students in a different way,” Solheim said.

Welcome to West Dean Solheim, best of luck!