Forest Hills — As with the start of any school year, there are always new faces in the district. This year, Northern Trails 5/6 School has a brand new principal, and Central Middle School has a familiar Forest Hills teacher joining as assistant principal.
William Cataldo, the new principal at Northern Trails, came to the district from Cedar Springs, where he served in several areas over the last 11 years, most recently as middle school principal.
Cataldo taught in the Chicago Public Schools for seven years. He earned a bachelor’s degree in science and master’s degrees in education from Michigan State University and in educational leadership from DePaul University.
Natalie Bice also worked in the Chicago Public Schools before coming to Forest Hills in 2019. Bice was recently named the assistant principal of Central Middle School, replacing Jeff Simon, now Central Middle School principal. Bice has served the district as a second-grade teacher at Meadow Brook Elementary and an instructional coach.
She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Michigan State University and master’s degrees in elementary education from DePaul University and in educational leadership from Western Michigan University.
William Cataldo
Principal, Northern Trails
It was coaching his younger brother’s sports teams that inspired William Cataldo to switch from heading into a fishing and wildlife career to the education field.
“I enjoyed supporting him and his friends,” Cataldo recalled. “So I started taking education classes while at Michigan State University.”
Cataldo said he decided to make the move from rural Cedar Springs to suburban Forest Hills because it will give him the opportunity to explore and learn how another district operates.
His interest in trying new things comes from his childhood, he said. He described himself back then as “generally a good kid” who excelled in math and science and loved sports, but “every once in a while, I could get into mischief.”
One dynamic that interested Cataldo about Northern Trails is that the school houses two immersion programs: Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.
“I am really excited for this new chapter and the opportunity to explore another great district,” he said, “and to see what this school has to offer, which so far has been outstanding.”
Natalie Bice
Assistant principal, Central Middle School
Natalie Bice said she got a huge warm welcome on her first day as assistant principal at Central Middle School: a table covered in Ranger gear.
“I’m really excited to be a part of Central Middle School,” she said. “I think this community is really a special place to be, and there is a lot of Central pride.”
It was because of her own mentors and how they empowered her that inspired her to look into a field where she could work with students and teachers, she said.
“I wanted to be that person for students and families,” she said.
She said she has fond memories of her middle school years.
“I always had my nose in a book, but also I enjoyed sports and choir,” Bice recalled. “School was a way for me to find my community in a group of people. I wanted to be social, and school was a way for me to do that.”
She said she loves the vision of Central Middle, where “Every student every day will be seen, heard and cared for,” and has already seen that in action from fellow staff.
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