Leadership Update

Saint Viator Welcomes New Principal Jon Baffico

In April, Saint Viator High School announced the hiring of Jon P. Baffico as the school’s new principal for the 2022-23 school year. Baffico has served in the same role at St. Patrick High School in Chicago for the past nine years.

“It is with great pleasure that we welcome Jon Baffico to the Saint Viator community,” said school President Fr. Daniel Lydon, C.S.V. ’73. “He was the clear choice of our selection committee from among all of the exceptional candidates we interviewed.”

Baffico replaced Principal Karen Love who has since moved with her family to the west coast.

“Karen served us well for the past five years,” said Fr. Lydon. “She left the school in good shape so that Jon can immediately focus on expanding the academic groundwork established by Karen and our entire staff and administration. I know that because of his years of experience, Jon will move our academic program to new heights.”

Baffico received his BS in Mathematics Education from Indiana University and an MA in School Leadership from Concordia University. In addition to his leadership at St. Patrick, Baffico was an assistant principal at Algonquin Middle School in Algonquin, a school board member in Oak Grove School District 68, and a member of the school board for St. Francis de Sales in Lake Zurich.

“I am honored to accept this position at Saint Viator, knowing their unyielding commitment to academic excellence, faith formation, and preparing students to transform the world around them,” Baffico said. “The students, families, faculty, staff, and alumni have built a tremendous reputation over the past 60 years and I will continue to move their mission forward as principal.” During his tenure as principal, St. Patrick added a number of new courses to their curriculum, introduced both STEAM and INCubator programs, implemented Professional Learning Communities, increased building security, developed and implemented their first two strategic plans, and expanded faith-formation opportunities for students.

Prior to moving into administrative leadership roles Baffico was a math teacher at Carmel High School in Mundelein where he also served as head varsity coach for boys basketball and both boys and girls volleyball. He currently is a member of the board of directors for the Illinois High School Association.

“We have a number of key initiatives already in motion for the future of Saint Viator High School, and I expect Jon to help us formalize and enhance those plans as we get to work. I know he will be a tremendous asset to our community,” said Fr. Lydon.

Baffico resides in Libertyville with his wife Tiffani and their three children Ella (17), Hailey (15), and Michaelene (12).

A Fond Farewell to Principal Karen Love

As we welcome Jon Baffico as the new principal at Saint Viator High School, we also recognize the exceptional achievements of Karen Love during the past five years. Karen and her husband are moving to the San Diego area to enjoy warmer weather and better proximity to their new grandchildren. Under Karen’s leadership, we greatly enhanced our curriculum through additional courses added as well as refinement of existing courses. Karen and Assistant Principal Mike Field (now Dr. Mike Field) helped attract a number of new faculty members and nurtured the pursuit of higher academic standards in all departments.

Karen and her team led our school through several accreditation efforts, furthering our reputation as a school where tradition and innovation meet.

We must also recognize the monumental task Karen faced in leading our community through the COVID pandemic. Very few schools anywhere can claim the success that we experienced in providing the highest standards of both safety and commitment to academics.

We know that Karen’s impact will be felt for years to come as recent graduating classes go on to excel in college and careers, and future classes benefit from the programs put in place during her tenure. Each of us are grateful for the leadership and commitment Karen displayed and wish her and her family all the best in their future endeavors.