State education officials honored seven of Illinois’ outstanding school board members at the 44th annual Those Who Excel/Teacher of the Year banquet October 20 in Normal. Four board members captured the award of excellence, the highest level. School board members who took home an award, and their district and locale:
Excellence
Mark Metz
Evanston Township High School District 202
Kristin Fitzgerald
Naperville Community Unit School District 203
Jill Bertels
Edwardsville Community Unit School District 7
Ryan Farrell
Crystal Lake ESD 47
Merit
Mucia Burke
Township High School District 211
Anita Hanna
Waukegan Community Unit School District 60
Recognition
Debra Havighorst
Homewood School District 153
The winners are among 214 educators to be honored at the banquet.
Local school district leaders and members of school communities nominate candidates for this recognition. A committee of peers, organized through the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), chose the award winners to be honored this year. The committee represents statewide education organizations and includes former award winners.
The 214 recipients received recognition on three levels and across multiple categories, including classroom teacher, teams, early career educator, school administrator, school board member, community volunteer, education service personnel, and student support personnel.
A complete list of local recipients by county can be accessed on ISBE’s Those Who
Excel winners’ list.
