2 new officials named for Hamilton Elementary, Edison Junior-Senior High

The Lake Station School Board named Jennifer Havens-Rodriguez as principal of Alexander Hamilton Elementary and Ryan Vondrak as assistant principal at Edison Junior-Senior High School.

The board approved the appointments in a special meeting Wednesday.

Havens- Rodriguez replaces Principal Tara Gordon, who’s retiring, said Superintendent Thomas Cripliver.

Havens-Rodriguez has been in education for 15 years and served as dean of students at Kolling Elementary in St. John for the past four years.

She also taught social studies in grades 9-12 for the Lake Central School Corp.

Havens-Rodriguez grew up in Hammond and earned an undergraduate degree in political science from Purdue University and then completed the teacher licensure program at Purdue Northwest. She earned a master’s in education administration and supervision from Ball State University.

Vondrak, a 1996 Edison graduate, returns to Lake Station from Lake Ridge Middle School, where he’s been a science teacher, varsity coach and middle school athletic director since 2005.

He received his undergraduate degree in education from Ball State and is studying for his principal’s licensure from Indiana Wesleyan.