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Moline-Coal Valley School District announces Those Who Excel award winners

Moline-Coal Valley School District announces Those Who Excel award winners

Yahoo16-05-2025

The Moline-Coal Valley School District has announced three recipients of the Those Who Excel Award from the Illinois State Board of Education.
Jenna Bennison, kindergarten teacher at Franklin Elementary, Award of Excellence; Dr. Rachel Savage, superintendent, Award of Meritorious Service (School Administrator) and Tiffany Denys, art teacher at Wilson Middle School, Award of Meritorious Service (Classroom Teacher) will be recognized at the ISBE's awards banquet on Saturday, May 17, in Bloomington..
About the program:
Those Who Excel Awards Awards are presented in seven categories: classroom teachers, early career educators (teachers 1-4 years), school administrators, student support personnel, educational service personnel, community volunteers, and teams.Award of Excellence: To receive the Award of Excellence, the most prestigious of the Those Who Excel honors, educators must have demonstrated a commitment to equity and to the success of all students. They regularly collaborate with colleagues, students, and families to create positive school cultures. They are lifelong learners who connect their schools to the community at large and who inspire other education professionals within and beyond their schools. Award of Meritorious Service: Educators presented with the Award of Meritorious Service have gone above and beyond in service to their school communities. They are experienced educators who take on leadership opportunities and whose accomplishments uplift the culture of learning in their school. They stand as exemplars of their profession and have become integral members of their schools and districts.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Moline-Coal Valley School District announces Those Who Excel award winners
Moline-Coal Valley School District announces Those Who Excel award winners

Yahoo

time16-05-2025

  • Yahoo

Moline-Coal Valley School District announces Those Who Excel award winners

The Moline-Coal Valley School District has announced three recipients of the Those Who Excel Award from the Illinois State Board of Education. Jenna Bennison, kindergarten teacher at Franklin Elementary, Award of Excellence; Dr. Rachel Savage, superintendent, Award of Meritorious Service (School Administrator) and Tiffany Denys, art teacher at Wilson Middle School, Award of Meritorious Service (Classroom Teacher) will be recognized at the ISBE's awards banquet on Saturday, May 17, in Bloomington.. About the program: Those Who Excel Awards Awards are presented in seven categories: classroom teachers, early career educators (teachers 1-4 years), school administrators, student support personnel, educational service personnel, community volunteers, and of Excellence: To receive the Award of Excellence, the most prestigious of the Those Who Excel honors, educators must have demonstrated a commitment to equity and to the success of all students. They regularly collaborate with colleagues, students, and families to create positive school cultures. They are lifelong learners who connect their schools to the community at large and who inspire other education professionals within and beyond their schools. Award of Meritorious Service: Educators presented with the Award of Meritorious Service have gone above and beyond in service to their school communities. They are experienced educators who take on leadership opportunities and whose accomplishments uplift the culture of learning in their school. They stand as exemplars of their profession and have become integral members of their schools and districts. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

South Elgin High School teacher surprised with Golden Apple Award, the second U-46 winner in two years
South Elgin High School teacher surprised with Golden Apple Award, the second U-46 winner in two years

Chicago Tribune

time07-05-2025

  • Chicago Tribune

South Elgin High School teacher surprised with Golden Apple Award, the second U-46 winner in two years

Just before the start of one of his classes Wednesday morning, South Elgin High School teacher Matt Erbach was startled when his classroom was suddenly filled with people he wasn't expecting. Members of the Golden Apple Foundation, fellow teachers and staff members, and his wife Kathryn were there to celebrate his selection as a 2025 winner of a Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. 'My watch is already pinging, telling me my heart rate's up,' Erbach said after being bestowed with the honor and being given a gift basket from foundation President Alan Mather. Only 11 high school teachers in the state of Illinois were selected to receive the prestigious teaching award this year out of more than 470 nominees. The winners are chosen based on a number of criteria, including lasting, positive effects on students' lives and school communities. Each recipient is given a $5,000 cash award and a paid spring sabbatical from Northwestern University. They also become fellows of the Golden Apple Academy of Educators. 'We hope that Matt is going to prepare the next generation of teachers to be just like him,' Mather said during his presentation. Erbach teaches precision manufacturing and engineering, subjects that have real world applications, connect with people in other countries and will never leave a student asking, 'How am I ever going to use this?' Mather said. This is not the first time Erbach has been lauded for his work. In March, he was named Teacher of the Year by the Illinois Association for Career and Technical Education. And he's a past recipient of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence and an Illinois State Board of Education Award of Meritorious Service. Among Erbach's initiatives was an after-school project in which a team of six students designed and produced a two-part aluminum 'leg bone' portion of a prosthetic leg. The effort resulted in the team taking second-place in the Phillips Machine Student Competition, beating out designs from college and university teams, Erbach said. The work was done in conjunction with Life Changer Manufacturing, an after-school group at Chickasaw High School in Mississippi that works with high schools across the country in designing prosthetic legs made for and delivered to amputees in Latin American nations, he said. Erbach's work on the project dates back to when he was teaching at Streamwood High School, where he taught for 16 years before coming to South Elgin two years ago. The students he works with now not only attend South Elgin but travel from other high schools in District U-46 for his classes, he said. One of the big benefits for those in his classes is a chance to work with state-of-the art CNC (computer numerical control) equipment with which they can design and make items out of metal. Erbach said South Elgin is the only high school in Illinois to have some of the machinery it uses. Senior Eddie Guerrero used the equipment to make a chess set, which Erbach praised for its detail, particularly the intricate knight pieces. 'It's been amazing working in Mr. Erbach's classes,' he said. What he's enjoyed, Guerrero said, is that Erbach allows students to think up their own projects and helps them execute them. In fact, the classes have inspired Guerrero to attend Elgin Community College in the fall to study industrial manufacturing technology. Fellow senior Soren Erikson already has an after-school job as a machinist's assistant at Haumiller Engineering in South Elgin thanks to taking the classes he's taken with Erbach since his freshman year. This summer, Erikson said, he has a paid internship with Haumiller and will learn how to program its CNC machines. In the fall, like Guerrero, he will be studying manufacturing at ECC. 'From taking classes with Mr. Erbach, I saw that you could make good money and have a good career path,' Erikson said. That's one of his goals as a teacher, Erbach said. Educating students to realize their skills can lead to future success in the industrial arts and well-paid jobs, he said. Right now he has 70 students are enrolled in his classes. 'That's too few. I'd like to see that double,' Erbach said. Erbach is the second consecutive School District U-46 teacher — and the second teaching in South Elgin — to win a Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. Last year, Aimee Legatzke, a kindergarten teacher at Fox Meadow Elementary School in South Elgin, became the first teacher is district history to receive the honor. The Golden Apple Foundation rotates which grade level of teachers it recognizes in a given year, with this year high school teachers being recognized. In the 2025-26 school year, teachers in fourth through eighth grades will be honored, followed by pre-kindergarten to third grade in 2026-27 and high school again in 2027-28.

Oak Park and River Forest High School assistant superintendent Laurie Fiorenza to resign
Oak Park and River Forest High School assistant superintendent Laurie Fiorenza to resign

Chicago Tribune

time06-05-2025

  • Chicago Tribune

Oak Park and River Forest High School assistant superintendent Laurie Fiorenza to resign

The administrator who oversees all things academic at Oak Park and River Forest High School is leaving the school at the end of this school year. Laurie Fiorenza, assistant superintendent for student learning, is resigning effective June 30. Fiorenza has been at OPRF for six years, the last four in the assistant superintendent position, after starting out as the director of student learning. It is not clear if Fiorenza has another job lined up and she has not responded to requests for comment. Fiorenza's undated resignation letter, obtained via a public records request, was brief and did not disclose her future plans. 'I am grateful for the opportunities I've had over the past six years to learn and grow as a leader alongside dedicated colleagues,' Fiorenza wrote. 'My time here has been formative, and I appreciate the experiences shaping my professional journey. 'As I transition to new opportunities, I appreciate my time in the district and the important work being done here. I will ensure a smooth transition and assist in any way I can to support the handoff of my responsibilities.' The morning after her resignation was accepted, Fiorenza sent an email to OPRF faculty and staff informing them that she was leaving and thanking them for their 'support, collaboration and shared commitment to students.' 'I'm grateful for the past six years and the chance to grow as a leader and to work alongside such dedicated and passionate colleagues has been truly meaningful,' Fiorenza wrote. District 200 Superintendent Greg Johnson confirmed that Fiorenza resigned but declined comment on the circumstances of the resignation. 'I think she did a lot of positive things for this district,' Johnson said. During Fiorenza's time at OPRF the school has received low marks in Five Essentials survey of teachers, which is mandated by the Illinois State Board of Education. In the most recent Five Essentials Survey, OPRF has received poor grades in instructional leadership, with a score of 16 on a 1 to 100 scale. OPRF was also classified as very weak in quality professional development with a score of 18 and received ratings of weak in innovation and program coherence. Fiorenza came to OPRF in 2019 after serving as principal of a middle school in Aurora. In her current role she is in charge of academics and curriculum. In OPRF's structure Principal Lynda Parker handles operations and school culture and does not play a major role in academic affairs. Before becoming the principal at the middle school in Aurora Fiorenza served as an assistant principal at a Batavia middle school. She began her career in Quincy working as a special education teacher, reading interventionist, director of an after school program and an assistant principal in the Quincy school district. The assistant superintendent position will be an important hire for OPRF. The school is completing the third year of detracking much of the freshman curriculum, meaning that it is getting near the time when meaningful evaluation of the Honors for All curriculum change can take place.

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