Lake County Gazette

Granite City Community Unit School District 9 is continuing its weekly staff spotlight series for the 2025-26 school year, highlighting employees who contribute to a positive student experience. This week, the district features Marcie Sweet, assistant principal at Grigsby Elementary School.

Sweet has been with the district for four years, starting as a fifth-grade teacher at Grigsby before moving into her current administrative role. She previously worked in the Alton School District for 14 years, teaching at Alton Middle School for four years and serving as an assistant principal for 10 years at both West Elementary School and Alton Middle School.

When asked about her background, Sweet shared, "I’ve worked in Granite City for four years. My first year at Grigsby, I taught 5th grade." She added, "Before coming to GCSD9, I spent 14 years in the Alton School District. I taught at Alton Middle School for four years and served as an Assistant Principal for 10 years at both West Elementary School and Alton Middle School."

Sweet is married with two children and three dogs. Her daughter is studying nursing at Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC), and her son is a high school senior. Her husband is an economics professor. When asked about her favorite food, she replied, "Anything Italian or chocolate—bonus points if they’re combined, like tiramisu!"

Reflecting on her career, Sweet said, "I can’t pick just one favorite memory, but my favorite year in my career was when I came to Grigsby. Returning to the classroom after being an administrator was amazing—I had the best group of kids, and they made teaching so much fun!"

Sweet attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) for both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees and has completed additional coursework to earn her Special Education Director’s Endorsement. In her limited free time, she enjoys reading, working in her yard, traveling, and baking. She said, "Ha! I don’t have much free time, but I enjoy reading, working in my yard, traveling, and baking."

When asked who she looks up to, Sweet responded, "I look up to everyone who shows up at Grigsby every day and gives it their all. We work hard together to make it a great place to work—and a great place for kids to learn."

Granite City Community Unit School District 9 serves Madison County and includes schools such as Grigsby Intermediate School, Coolidge Junior High School, Frohardt Elementary School, Granite City High School, Maryville Elementary School, Mitchell Elementary School, Prather Elementary School, and Wilson Elementary School. More information about the district can be found at https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/.

According to the Illinois State Board of Education, the district employs 320 teachers with an average salary of $67,898. The staff is predominantly female (77.1 percent), and no teachers have more than 10 absences in a school year. The student body is 65.3 percent White, 15.9 percent Black, 11.7 percent Hispanic, and 0.6 percent Asian. In 2020, the district spent $17,739 per student for a total expenditure of $106,256,610. These statistics are available at https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/.

Community members are encouraged to nominate staff members for future spotlights by emailing information@gcsd9.net.