Each year, Shorewood teachers who go above and beyond in the classroom and community are honored with the Shorewood Excellence in Teaching Award. This year, the individual honorees were Library and Media Specialist Alan Karbel, Lake Bluff K4 Teacher Colleen Shea, SHS Social Studies Teacher Brian Schulties, Lake Bluff Mac 1 Teacher Virginia Kashian, and Orchestra Teacher Melissa Honigman. Group awards went to Shorewood High School Counselors Scott Brown, Amalie Norris, and Jennifer Hoffman, and Atwater Kindergarten Teachers Joleen Barry, Bridey Richards, Sara Starck, Amy Thoreson, and Kamei Kim.
A dinner was held on Wednesday, June 19 to honor the awardees. Each honoree was presented with a $5,000 award, thanks to funding provided by a generous donor. Shorewood Excellence in Teaching Award selection committee members also attended the dinner, including Jack Linehan, Jeff Schmeckpeper, Latish Reed, and Kathy Smith.
To be eligible for selection, teachers must be full time employees and must be nominated by students, teachers, or other members of the Shorewood community. Nominated teachers then choose whether or not they would like to apply for the award, following the next steps in the nomination and application process.
The selection committee then chooses the recipients based on the following criteria: Student Achievement, Inspiration, and Culture & Community. Teachers must demonstrate characteristics such as fostering academic and personal growth for all students, engaging students through creative and innovative approaches to learning, and collaborating with colleagues to make Shorewood Schools a better place to learn and teach.
Superintendent Bryan Davis attended the dinner to congratulate the honorees for their hard work and dedication to the District and the community.