After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in management studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management, Lyndl began a private-sector career before transitioning to Education in the late 1990s. In her current role with RTSD since 2006, Lyndl also earned a doctorate in educational leadership from Western Illinois University in 2016.
Beyond the business acumen and exemplary leadership, her unbridled commitment to ecoregenerative, environmentally conscious schools makes Lyndl’s an industry icon. Her dedication to environmental excellence as the basis for school facilities has garnered RTSD national recognition from the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Education, ASHRE, ASLA Illinois, and AIA Northeast Illinois. Lyndl’s career as an organizer of things great and small includes extensive service to the Illinois Association of School Business Officials, the A4LE Chicagoland Chapter, the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce, and Northbrook/Glenview District 30 among many others.
Lyndl’s legacy is perhaps best summarized by her landmark achievement, Prairie Trails School (PTS), an innovative early learning center that thrives as a sustainable ecology of education, activity, and exploration. The program began with a deep energy retrofit and reimagining of a 1960s-era school building in partnership with FGM Architects (FGMA).
Lyndl’s legacy is perhaps best summarized by her landmark achievement, Prairie Trails School (PTS), an innovative early learning center that thrives as a sustainable ecology of education, activity, and exploration. The program began with a deep energy retrofit and reimagining of a 1960s-era school building. Under Lyndl’s leadership, PTS was redeveloped to prioritize environmentalism as central to all forms of knowledge. Green initiatives are the basis of educational objectives like tracking data, managing resources, distribution, and maintenance. Educational displays and interactive kiosks offer valuable insights into sustainable design and building practices. Outside, making beneficial use of soil excavated for a water retention pond, the school grounds now offer dynamic, interactive learning zones of rocks, sand, grass, and shade over a rolling topography.
PTS is the first net-zero energy school in Illinois that also meets the 2018 PHIUS + Source Zero standard, which means it uses 40 to 60 percent less energy than typical buildings.
In seeing the value and benefit of nature as the ultimate educator, Dr. Lyndl Schuster’s work reminds us that the answers to everything surround us.
