Principal Sean Norton comes to Guilford with a dream. He started his career as a teacher, but has moved on to administration in order to reawaken joy in his career.

   “There was a point, I remember definitively, I dropped my daughter off at school, and she skipped up to the door,” said Mr. Norton. “I thought, ‘Why don’t I skip to my job?’ I loved teaching, but I felt like I could have a greater influence as an administrator, where my personal experiences could be of an advantage to more kids than the 150 on my teaching load.”

   Before coming to Guilford, Mr. Norton worked as an assistant principal at RESA for four years, and as the athletic director at Auburn for two years. He also taught at Belvidere North High School for 7 years before becoming an administrator.

   After Mr. Willie Boyd retired last year, the position for Business Academy Principal opened up. Mr. Norton’s daughter was also attending Guilford and he knew many staff members, including Mr. Gus Carter, Mr. Amish Shah, and Mr. August Toldo, who he has worked with in the past.

   “Mr. Carter and I became assistant principals together back at Auburn seven or eight years ago,” said Mr. Norton. “I’ve been wanting to get back to working with him. There are some good things going on here, and I was interested in being a part of that.”

   Mr. Norton is very close to his family. His oldest daughter swims on the Guilford swim team, and he has two younger sons at Eisenhower Middle School and Johnson Elementary School. The family does a plethora of sports together, including golf, swimming, hockey, and soccer.

   “We like a lot of outdoor stuff,” said Mr. Norton. “We have some property up North, so we go hiking and camping, kayaking, paddleboard, and stuff like that.”

   The family also does theatre together through the Bonzi Theatre Company, and they have season tickets for Starlight Theatre.

     “Outside of that, I like to workout, I like sports, soccer especially,” said Mr. Norton. “I grew up in England, so I’m a very big soccer fan. I like being outside, and being with the family.”

   Starting this year, Mr. Norton is now the Business Academy principal.

   “Guilford students should know that even though I’m going to hold you to expectations, ultimately I have your long-term interests at heart,” said Mr. Norton. “I did not like school, I literally hated every day of my high school experience. I wish that someone had held me to some expectations because then it would have set my foundations for moving forward a little higher. So I want people to know that even though I hold you to expectations, they’re going to benefit you in life. We’re here for you, I’m here for you.”