For Immediate Release
September 15, 2006
Nearly 200 school staffers are recognized as part of the 32nd annual Those
Who Excel Program
Nearly 200 of the state’s outstanding teachers, administrators, student
support personnel, educational service personnel, and community members will
take center stage Saturday, October 7, when they are honored by the Illinois
State Board of Education at the 32nd annual Those Who Excel/Illinois Teacher
of the Year awards program. The awards banquet will be held at the Decatur
Conference Center, 4191 W US Highway 36, Decatur.
“We are honoring these individuals for their outstanding contributions
to schools throughout the state,” said State Superintendent of Education
Randy Dunn. “They represent the thousands of people who support our
schools daily to help all our students become successful lifelong learners.”
The categories for recognition are:
- Classroom teacher
- School administrator
- Student support personnel
- Educational service personnel
- School board member and/or community volunteer
- Teams, which recognizes groups of teachers and administrators; citizen
committees; civic organizations; parent organizations; school boards; booster
clubs and others that have a significant impact on teaching and learning
in a school or district.
This year, all levels of awards will be presented at the banquet. There
are
- 35 recipients of the highest award level, Excellence.
- 59 recipients of the Award of Merit
- 63 recipients of the Award of Recognition
Candidates are nominated by their local schools and people in their communities.
The nomination includes a brief biography of the nominee, his or her philosophy
of education, professional development and community involvement and their
opinions of the state’s most pressing educational needs. Letters of
recommendation are also required.
A committee of peers chooses the award winners. The committee represents
statewide education organizations and includes former award winners.
Teacher of the Year finalists comprise all teachers given the Award of Excellence.
Finalists sit for a videotaped interview as part of the selection process.
The Teacher of the Year serves as the state’s ambassador for teaching
and represents Illinois in the National Teacher of the Year programs sponsored
by the Council of Chief State School Officers, Scholastic, Inc., and ING.
Jacque Bolger, a French teacher at Hononegah High School, District 207,
in Rockton is the current Illinois Teacher of the Year.
View this year’s Those Who
Excel winners, listed by county. |
