When Mark Pilut retired in 2024 after serving as principal of Carl Sandburg Middle School for 20 years, he said he wouldn’t mind if changes are made once he’s gone.

One change was made this spring with the renaming of the school’s multi-purpose room, also known as the MPR. In May, the school dedicated the room in his name and MPR now stands for the “Mark Pilut Room.”

“This room embodies what Mark Pilut had meant to the Carl Sandburg community,” said Kevin Myers, Superintendent of Districts 75 and 120. “This room is a gathering place every day for our students - it’s the heart of the building.”

Pilut joined Carl Sandburg as a language arts teacher in 1991, was promoted to assistant principal in 1997 and became principal in 2004. He is closely associated with the “Live the Code” phrase, a statement developed more than a dozen years ago by the Building Leadership Team. The team created the acronym CODE to emphasize the words Community, Ownership, Discovery and Effort.

As principal, Pilut used the phrase on a regular basis. When he retired, he reflected that he wants all the students that go through Carl Sandburg to always Live the Code.

I’m truly humbled and honored,” Pilut said at the Room Dedication Ceremony, before thanking CSMS staff members. “I will be forever grateful you guys were willing to partner with me, to just go on this adventure and to live the code.”