2009 Distinguished Educators Award

D300 Foundation for Educational Excellence

2009 Distinguished Educators Award

2009 Distinguished Educators Award

The District 300 Foundation For Educational Excellence is proud to announce the recipients of the 2009 Distinguished Educator Awards. For the first time ever two Distinguished Educator Awards will be awarded. It is a very exciting time for the Foundation and the District to have its students, educators, and administrators recognized. The two recipients of the 2009 Distinguished Educator of the Year Award are Carolyn Szabo and Barb Jones. Combined they have a total of almost 40 years dedication to the District 300 students.

Barbara Jones

Lincoln Prairie

Barb Jones is currently teaching at Lincoln Prairie Elementary School, but she has worked at many different schools in her 28 years of service to District 300. Graduating from Western Illinois University (BS) and DePaul University (MA), Jones has been recognized in the district before with the Those Who Excel in 1995. Jones is a National Board Certified Teacher who has successfully mentored several District 300 teachers through the National Board certification process.

She is a district mentor to new teachers and has coached administrators and teachers as a member of the District evaluation committee. At Lincoln Prairie, Jones has developed reading, math and writing teaching tools for teachers to use while collaborating on school improvement goals.

Carolyn Szabo

Dundee Middle School

Carolyn Szabo is the second recipient of the Distinguished Educator of the Year Award. Szabo has been teaching in District 300 for 10 years, and attended Northeastern Illinois University (BS) and Aurora University and received her Masters of Arts in Teaching.

Szabo is currently teaching at Dundee Middle School, sixth, seventh and eighth graders. Szabo inspires her colleagues to employ innovative techniques and best practices in her roles as a District mentor, team leader, and building and District exploratory technology/careers leader. Szabo shares her curriculum and instructional strategies with colleagues at Dundee Middle School and at other middle schools. Szabo has used her innovative techniques to maximize student achievement.

The mission of the District 300 Foundation for Educational Excellence is to seek and make available resources that enhance and extend learning opportunities for all of its students.