•April 17, 2019•

The Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond CUSD #305 Board of Education is announcing the hiring of Shannon Cheek as the next superintendent of schools starting July 1, 2019 to succeed Kenny Schwengel, who is retiring at the end of the school year.
After completing a nationwide executive search through the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB), Cheek was selected from a pool of 32 applicants. The search process was initiated by the board at the end of December, 2018.
Cheek is the current principal of Mahomet-Seymour High School, a position he has held since 2011. Prior to that he served as assistant principal for five years and was a teacher and coach in the district beginning in 1999. He also taught for a year at Heritage High School before moving to Mahomet-Seymour. Cheek received his Specialist in Education with Superintendent Endorsement from Eastern Illinois University. He received his Master of Educational Administration from the University of Illinois and also a Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology. Cheek and his wife, Kim, have two daughters, Morgan who is a sophomore at the University of Kentucky and Raegan who is a sophomore in high school.
“We are extremely excited to have Mr. Shannon Cheek as the new leader for CUSD #305 and feel he is a great fit for the district and communities,” said Jake Kamm, board president. “The board would like to thank the nearly 300 community members and district staff who completed a survey in conjunction with the search to help provide guidance to the board on what criteria to use in the selection process.”
The Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond school district encompasses 252 square miles and has more than 1200 students. “I am extremely grateful and excited to be given the opportunity to lead a district where its students, staff and communities are dedicated and passionate about education,” said Cheek. “My family and I are looking forward to becoming active members of the district.”
An open house will be held at a later date to welcome him to the district.