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D-15 Receives Seven 'Those Who Excel' Awards

The Illinois State Board of Education selected District 15 honorees in each category of its prestigious "Those Who Excel" awards program this year.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) selected District 15 honorees in each category of its prestigious “Those Who Excel” awards program this year.

Each year, the ISBE’s “Those Who Excel” awards program honors outstanding teachers, administrators, student support personnel, educational service personnel, and community members for their exceptional contributions to schools throughout the state. Candidates are nominated by their local schools or people in their communities. Letters of recommendation are also required. A committee of peers, including representatives from statewide education organizations and former award recipients, determines the level of recognition nominees will receive—Excellence, Merit, or Recognition.

This year, members of the District 15 community will receive a total of seven awards—four Awards of Merit and three Awards of Recognition—at the ISBE’s “Those Who Excel” Banquet, which will be held Saturday, October 22, at the Bloomington-Normal Marriot Hotel in Normal.

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Jennifer Grosch, Marion Jordan School principal; Debra Goode, a first-grade teacher at Gray M. Sanborn School; Rachel deLutio, a fifth- and sixth-grade teacher at Willow Bend School; and Julie Sciuckas, a parent volunteer at Winston Campus Elementary, will all receive Awards of Merit.

Phyllis Carlstrom, senior executive assistant for the superintendent and deputy superintendent of schools; Jennifer Reilly, a reading consultant specialist at Thomas Jefferson School; and the Lincoln School Student Services Team will all receive Awards of Recognition.

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Jennifer Grosch

Mrs. Grosch taught for two years in Medinah and 11 years in Arlington Heights before joining District 15 as the assistant principal at Central Road School in 2003. She held that position for the past eight years, but last year pulled double duty by also serving as Marion Jordan’s interim principal. In the spring, she was named Marion Jordan’s full-time principal.

Mrs. Grosch was nominated for this award in the “School Administrator” category by Central Road’s principal, Joshua Carpenter, who noted “her above-and-beyond effort to give each building her absolute best.”

“If it is possible to give 100 percent to two jobs, she did it,” said Mr. Carpenter. “To say she handled both positions with grace and professionalism would be a great understatement.”

Debra Goode

Mrs. Goode joined District 15 in 1996, serving her first year as a teacher at Lincoln School before moving to Gray M. Sanborn School, where she has taught a number of different grade levels over the past 13 years. For the past five years, she has been a first-grade teacher. She completed her National Board Certification in 2003, and is set to renew it this year. She also earned her English as a second language endorsement in 2008.

Mrs. Goode was nominated for this award in the “Classroom Teacher” category by Gray M. Sanborn’s principal, Sue Matkovic, who praised her as “the type of leader that education needs for the future.”

“Deb is the kind of teacher who sees the best in everyone,” said Mrs. Matkovic. “She not only motivates her students to achieve more, but consistently raises the bar of expectations for our entire school community.”

Rachel deLutio

Ms. deLutio joined District 15 in 2006. She taught third- and fourth-grade multiage classes during her first five years at Willow Bend, but this year she is teaching a fifth- and sixth-grade multiage class.

Ms. deLutio was nominated for this award in the “Outstanding Early Career Educator” category by Willow Bend’s principal, Barbie Rothbauer. This award category publicly recognizes promising young teachers who are no more than five years into their careers.

“I have never encountered a young teacher with such a bright future. She is a gifted educator whose understanding of teaching and learning far surpasses her level of experience,” said Mrs. Rothbauer. “Come to Willow Bend, and you will be lured into her classroom! Mention her name, and the response you’ll get from peers, students, coworkers, and families will astound you!”

Julie Sciuckas

Over the past three years, Mrs. Sciuckas has led After School Specials, an incredibly popular series of fun, interactive, extracurricular classes sponsored by Winston Campus Elementary’s PTA every Friday in February.

Mrs. Sciuckas was nominated for this award in the “Community Volunteer” category by Winston Campus Elementary’s principal, Andrew Tieman, who praised her for accepting this role when no one else would.

“I, for one, hate to think how different Winston Campus Elementary would be without After School Specials, and I hate to think that we almost lost the program three years ago,” said Mr. Tieman. “That’s why I’m so grateful for all that Julie has done. This program would have died without her leadership, organizational skills, drive, and determination. Instead, Winston Campus Elementary’s After School Specials program is better—and more fun—than ever.”

Phyllis Carlstrom

Mrs. Carlstrom joined District 15 in 1992, and served for 14 years in secretarial positions at Jane Addams School and John G. Conyers Learning Academy. Then, in 2006, she moved to the Superintendent’s Office at the Joseph M. Kiszka Educational Service Center, where she now serves as senior executive assistant for both the superintendent and deputy superintendent of schools.

Mrs. Carlstrom was nominated for this award in the “Educational Service Personnel” category by Superintendent Scott Thompson and James Garwood, deputy superintendent of schools.

“Phyllis Carlstrom is a district-level leader whose influence is felt throughout the organization,” reads their nomination. “She combines wisdom, a strong work ethic, compassion, and a depth of historical knowledge that impacts decisions that affect the 12,000 students in the District as well as the entire District staff.”

Jennifer Reilly

Mrs. Reilly joined District 15 in 2003, and has served as a reading consultant specialist at Thomas Jefferson School for the past eight years. Prior to joining the District, Mrs. Reilly, who has been an educator for 16 years, held teaching positions in Galesburg, Crystal Lake, and Buffalo Grove.

Mrs. Reilly was nominated for this award in the “Student Support Personnel” category by Thomas Jefferson’s former principal, Art Abrego.

“Jennifer is an outstanding leader and advocate for literacy instruction and provides her students an enriching and challenging educational experience,” said Mr. Abrego. “Her instructional techniques and curricular structures are tailored to the needs of her students and focused on creating an educational environment with the highest expectations. She is extremely passionate about reading and cultivates that passion within her students.”

Lincoln School’s Student Services Team

Lincoln School’s Student Services Team members are Rebecca Dinkheller and Kathy Franzen, special education teachers; Jessie Kalinowski and Sharon Moore, reading consultant specialists; Lanae Recinas, social worker; Teresa Schwarz, speech and language pathologist; and Laura Swanlund, school psychologist.

Lincoln School’s Student Services Team was nominated for this award in the “Team” category by Christie Samojedny, who served as Lincoln’s principal the past four years and now serves as the principal at Stuart R. Paddock School.

“What makes them a model team is their level of commitment and creativity in using existing resources to increase the impact of services and interventions to students, and their level of expertise in examining and using student performance data to constantly evaluate and improve services to students,” said Mrs. Samojedny. “The team’s passion for providing support to all teachers and students goes beyond providing intense support in every academic area and includes supporting students in social-emotional learning and behavior through supporting exemplary work of the school’s PBIS implementation efforts.”

-Story Submitted by Community Consolidated School District 15

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