Top Oakton teachers, staff member honored at breakfast
Paul Gulezian, assistant professor of biology, and Peter Sigiols, accounting lecturer, are the recipients of the 2015 Ray Hartstein Awards for Outstanding Professional Excellence in Teaching at Oakton Community College. In addition, Stella Pillay, Business Services program assistant, received the Staff Excellence Award. The honors were announced during the college's annual breakfast in August. Named for the founder of Oakton's board of trustees, the Ray Harstein Awards annually recognize one full-time and one-part time faculty member. Nominees must demonstrate excellence in teaching and respect for students and peers. Following a review by the Student Government Association, the Oakton Educational Foundation Grants Committee selects the winners.
Mount Prospect native Michelle Grochocinski, a student at the University of Chicago, won first prize for her essay in the Go For Broke National Education Center's 2015 High School and College Student Essay and Video Contest. Students were asked to write or film about the Nisei soldier experience. A panel of local student educators served as judges. Grochocinski is one of 14 students who will share $6,500 in prize money, and receive complimentary tickets to attend center's 14th annual Evening of Aloha Gala Dinner on Saturday, Sept. 19, in Los Angeles.
On Sept. 1, the board of trustees of the Elk Grove Village Public Library welcomed Debra Nelson as the library's new director. Nelson, who has been at the library since 2006, was most recently head of the circulation department. She holds a Master of Library & Information Science degree from Dominican University.
Des Plaines native Amelia Kurkowski, a University of Dallas student, was awarded a scholarship to study abroad during the spring semester at the University of Dallas' Eugene Constantin Campus near Rome, Italy. Kurkowski was awarded the Charles T. Uhl Memorial Rome Scholarship established by four University of Dallas alumni to honor their father, Charles Uhl. Kurkowski will spend the semester in Rome studying, traveling and experiencing the art, architecture, literature, philosophy and deeds that form the basis of Western civilization.
Des Plaines Elementary School District 62 educators Kelly Krueger, principal at Central Elementary School and Ania Figueroa, special education teacher at Plainfield Elementary School, joined colleagues from across the U.S. and Canada for the 2015 Discovery Education Network's Summer Institute, an immersive professional development and networking experience. Krueger participated in a four-day long summit designed specifically for principals, where she learned new strategies for using technology and digital content from nationally recognized speakers. Figueroa joined a six-day professional learning event designed to support educators as they combine the latest technologies and digital content to create authentic digital learning environments. The professional learning experience was held July 9-17 at American University, Washington, D.C.
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