Education, Local News

School personnel, volunteers honored with Those Who Excel Awards

Local teachers, administrators and education supporters will be recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education as Those Who Excel honorees at a special April 29 reception.

Those Who Excel awards honor those who have made significant contributions to Illinois’ public and nonpublic elementary and secondary schools. ISBE has been presenting awards of excellence, merit and special recognition annually since 1970 by categories: classroom teachers, early career educators (teachers with 1-4 years of service), school administrators, student support personnel, educational service personnel, community volunteers and teams. 

Homewood-Flossmoor High School

Emily Carroll, a special education teacher, received a special recognition honor.

Dr. Lawrence Cook, chief school business official nominated in the school administrator category, received a meritorious service award.

Andrew Gaus, a special education teacher, received a special recognition honor.

Candice Hall, District 233 transportation and logistics coordinator and assistant to the director of operations and maintenance, was nominated in the educational service personnel category. She received a meritorious service award.

Dr. Aginah Muhammad, president of the Homewood-Flossmoor Parent Association, was nominated in the community volunteer category. She received an excellence award.

Lauren White, a social worker and coordinator of the school’s Wellness Wednesday programming, was nominated in the student support personnel category. She received a meritorious service award.

Two H-F teams were given meritorious service awards:

H-F Resiliency Project that focuses on proactive intervention by identifying and addressing students’ at-risk behaviors before they become problems, while also increasing students’ protective factors.  Team members are: Department Chair of Guidance Jim Schmidt; Associate Principal Craig Fantin; Director of Student Supports Jennifer Rudan; School Deans Terrell Alexander, Catherine Brown, Brett Geijer, Dave Klawitter, Chris Maniatis and Zachary Wells; school social workers: Myrna Cavazos, Jocelyn Cowan, Heithon Hurdle, Greg Jones, Danielle VanVliet, Lauren White and Kristina Zandi; school psychologists Dr. Carla Boyd, Marina Brennan, Dr. Anna Pignatiello and Kofi Shuck; and school counselors Kevin Coy, Dawn Edwards, Brad Kain, Ashley Keca, Lindsay Leverson, Lorrie Maul, John McCarthy, Danielle Mitchell, Dr. Karen Olson, Dana Palermo, Melissa Sauder, Tiphnee Staples and Roberto Suarez.

Co-Taught Social Science with Reading, a reading intervention program designed to assist students as they expand their reading comprehension and information-processing skills, vocabularies and fluency to transfer those skills across content areas. Team members are: reading teachers Courtney Hendricks, Kimberly Peterz, Kimberly Perisin and Christopher Reid; and social science teachers Hailey Baumstein, Allison Farkos, Brian O’Donnell and Gil Smit

Flossmoor District 161

Sarah Rudenga, a Parker Junior High media specialist nominated in the Student Support Personnel category, received an excellence award.

Emily Nicotra, a Parker Junior High seventh grade English/Language Arts teacher, received special recognition.

Haley Marti, Flossmoor Hills principal nominated in the administrator category, received a meritorious service award.

Anathayee Heyward, the Parker Junior High PTO president and member of the District 161 leadership team, was nominated in the community volunteer category. She received a meritorious service award.

Jillian Jendra, a Heather Hill kindergarten teacher nominated in the early career educator category, received a meritorious service award.

Tracy Reed, a Parker Junior High paraprofessional nominated in the educational support personnel category, received a meritorious service award.

Alpha Wolves, the Western Avenue School parent volunteer group nominated in the team category, received special recognition.

Homewood District 153

Beverly Bulliner, an assistant at Churchill School nominated in the student support personnel category, received a meritorious service award.

Yolanda Collins, a second grade teacher at Willow School nominated in the teacher category, received the meritorious service award.

MaryKay Gardiner, assistant principal at Churchill School nominated in the administrator category, received the meritorious service award.

Jessica Kors, school nurse at James Hart School nominated in the student support personnel category, received a special recognition award.

Jacqueline Perell, a third grade teacher at Churchill School nominated in the early career educator category, received a meritorious service award.

Patty Welsh, nominated in the community volunteer category, received a meritorious service award for her work with Special Olympics.

Citizens for Homewood Schools volunteers who worked to pass the District 153 referendum in November 2022, were nominated in the team category and were awarded a meritorious service award. Team members are Mike Dickover, Annie Lawrence, Sarah Young, Hope Zawaski, Christine Scully, Becky Popelka and Carol Humm.

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