Superintendent

Dr. Polanin has been a member of the Riverton School District since 2010, where he began as a seventh grade science teacher at Riverton Middle School.  During this time, Dr. Polanin was awarded The Kids in Need Classroom Grant (2013), the Illinois State Biodiversity Field Trip Grant (2014), and successfully funded two Donors Choose projects (2012 & 2013).  In addition to his teaching duties, Dr. Polanin coached the Riverton Hawks Seventh Grade Basketball Team for four seasons, leading one squad to a Regional Championship game in 2011, and the Riverton High School Football Team as an assistant for seven seasons, serving as Offensive Coordinator for three seasons.  Dr. Polanin also assisted the Riverton Middle School Scholastic Bowl Team to a Regional Championship in 2014.

 

Prior to becoming Superintendent of the Riverton School District, Dr. Polanin served as Assistant Principal of Riverton Elementary School from 2014-2017.  Dr. Polanin was awarded the Illinois Principals Association (IPA) Abe Lincoln Region Assistant Principal of the Year (2017) during this time, and led initiatives at Riverton Elementary School that resulted in various accolades, such as, the Sangamon County School Wellness Award (2017) and the Midwest PBIS Network Gold-Level Recognition (2015-2017).  For the 2017-2018 school year, Dr. Polanin served as the Principal of Riverton Middle School where he was nominated for the IPA Abe Lincoln Region Middle School Principal of the Year (2018). Dr. Polanin has led the development of Continuous School Improvement Planning, the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Program, and the implementation of the Families First Birth to Three Program for the Riverton School District, among other initiatives.

 

Dr. Polanin is a 2009 graduate of Eureka College with a degree in Environmental Science, Secondary Education, and a minor in Spanish.  Dr. Polanin received All-Conference honors as a Tight End (2007) for the Eureka College Red Devils Football Team during his undergraduate education.  Dr. Polanin received his Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Illinois-Springfield in 2013 after completing his thesis entitled, ‘The Effectiveness of a Bullying Prevention Program at the Middle School Level’.  In 2017, he received his Specialist of Education degree from Illinois State University in Educational Leadership, while also receiving the Hubbard-Hickrod Endowed Scholarship (2017) during this time. Dr. Polanin recently finished the Doctoral Program at Saint Louis University for Educational Leadership in May 2020 after completing his final project entitled, 'Principals' Perceptions of Their Preparedness to Lead and Educate English Language Learner Students'.  Dr. Polanin was awarded with the James V. and Dorothy B. Moon Scholarship through the Illinois Association of School Administrators (2020) to continue his education at the University of Illinois-Springfield in the Chief School Business Official (CSBO) and Human Resources Management programs.  In 2023, Dr. Polanin completed his Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree at Ball State University with a focus in Finance.

 

Additionally, Dr. Polanin has been involved with the Illinois Principals Association as the Abraham Lincoln Region Board Assistant Principal Representative and Region Treasurer.  Dr. Polanin also served as a Congressional Advocate, a representative on the Summer Leader’s Conference Planning Committee and served on the Legislative Committee for the IPA.  Dr. Polanin currently serves on the United Way Springfield Education Vision Council, the Advisory Board for the Sangamon County Child Advocacy Center, and as the Illinois Association of School Administrators Abe Lincoln Region Membership and Communication Chair.

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Dr. Polanin lives in Spaulding, Illinois with his wife Morgan, a Kindergarten Teacher in the Williamsville-Sherman School District, and dog Charlie.