CRYSTAL LAKE – Superintendent Jill Hawk plans to retire at the end of the month after seven years at the helm of Community High School District 155.

As the leader of one of the county’s largest school districts, Hawk was responsible for educating 7,000 high school students, managing an annual budget of $90 million, and overseeing more than 700 employees. She helped overhaul the district’s special education programs, align the curriculum at the district’s four high schools, boost student test scores and raise attendance and graduation rates.

Hawk certainly wasn’t confined to the office. She spent time at the district’s schools in Cary and Crystal Lake, organizing student and staff advisory committees and working with principals. And often she could be found on the sidelines of high school sporting events.