District 54 students, staff named INSPRA Distinguished Service Award recipients

District 54 is proud to announce the following recipients of Distinguished Service Awards for 2017 from the Illinois chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (INSPRA):

• The District 54 Parent Educators - Dayna Prochaska, Jennifer Weisler and Erin Wolaver - won an Award of Excellence in the Team category.

• Lori Durchslag, a fifth- and sixth-grade magnet teacher and webmaster at Campanelli Elementary School in Schaumburg, won an Award of Excellence in the Faculty/Certified Staff category.

• Scott Ross, principal of Frost Junior High in Schaumburg, won an Award of Excellence in the administrator category.

• Teri Shoemaker and Barb Boeing, secretaries at Hoover Math and Science Academy in Schaumburg, won an Award of Merit in the Support Staff category.

• Mia Buttita, Juliana Klups and Katya Cangiano, fourth-grade students at Churchill Elementary School in Schaumburg, won an Award of Merit in the Student category.

The statewide Distinguished Service Awards program honors individuals and groups who have consistently gone above and beyond on behalf of their schools and whose efforts have enhanced education and conveyed its importance to the community at large.

Parent Educators

Parents are their children's first teachers, and District 54 is fortunate to have a dedicated team of Parent Educators who work diligently to ensure that the parents of the youngest learners in our community are the best teachers that they can be.

Dayna Prochaska, Jennifer Weisler and Erin Wolaver serve as a resource to meet the needs of families in District 54 with children from birth through age 5, as well as expectant parents. Some families may be in need of one-to-one support. During these visits the Parent Educators focus on facilitating positive interactions and enabling parents to support their children. Other families are invited to events at District 54's four Community Resource Centers, where the Parent Educators facilitate a variety of weekly parent-child interaction opportunities.

Dayna, Jennifer and Erin work tirelessly to determine the needs of the families they serve and connect them with resources in the district and through outside agencies. They do whatever is needed to support the families, even accompanying them to medical visits and assisting with job searches. The Parent Educators also model collaboration through their communication with other agencies serving the same families.

Lori Durchslag

Lori Durchslag is officially a District 54 teacher. Unofficially, she is the chief communicator, booster and supporter of Campanelli School.

Lori was hired at Campanelli in August 2012 and became the school's webmaster in 2014. She regularly updates the site and supports teachers with developing classroom sites. She also runs a Press Club, allowing students to contribute stories and photos to the school's website, providing them with authentic writing opportunities. Lori's work was highlighted this summer when the district redesigned its websites. The district adopted a module design, giving school webmasters more flexibility and allowing them to prioritize the important content for their school. Lori added unique ideas that administrators encouraged other schools to include.

To further enhance communication, Lori started a Facebook site. To launch the page, students were given a "Flat Cody" (the school mascot is Cody the Cougar) and asked to post photos of Cody joining them on vacations and outings. This generated interest in the new Facebook page and kept the children connected to school last summer.

Scott Ross

Frost Principal Scott Ross has two areas of focus for his communication: High Achievement and Positive Culture. He looks for ways to recognize those traits in his students and staff and regularly fills his newsletters with information about how High Achievement and Positive Culture are reflected in the daily life at Frost. During Scott's tenure at Frost also launched a Spanish website, Facebook and Twitter. While a teacher posts routine information, Scott also regularly posts photos, responds to comments and uses Facebook Live to give parents a glimpse inside the classroom.

Scott's interpersonal communication is what really distinguishes him as a communication leader. He knows that people do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care. Scott takes time to connect with his students, demonstrates a genuine interest in them as individuals, and thanks them for making Frost an amazing place to work and learn. With staff, he keeps an open door and spends most of his time in their classrooms and during their collaborative professional development meetings observing and supporting.

This year he embedded Shawn Achor's research on positive psychology into Frost's daily routine. At the start of each school meeting, Scott has staff send a gratitude message to a colleague. Teachers took that example and implemented it in their classes, spreading the positive impact to students.

Teri Shoemaker and Barb Boeing

The Hoover Math and Science Academy secretaries have established strong relationships with staff, students and our community to support student learning and social-emotional well-being. Teri and Barb's children attended Hoover, so Hoover is not just a job to them. It is their community.

Barb and Teri are quick to assist families and answer questions. Often they are the first to welcome families to Hoover and provide information to ensure a smooth transition. Barb and Teri are also excellent listeners. They process feedback from parents and share that information with district office staff, looking for ways to enhance processes across the district while ensuring that changes align with school code and board policy.

When they notice a communication gap, they close it. This year they developed a flyer to remind parents to call the school when their student is out sick. This secretarial team supports staff by solving dilemmas, offering to lend a hand, and coordinating special staff events - such as the "Souper Bowl" luncheon - to create a positive school culture.

Mia Buttita, Juliana Klups and Katya Cangiano

After Mia Buttita, a Churchill fourth-grader, told classmates Juliana Klups and Katya Cangiano about the Buddy Bench at her previous school, the three lobbied for one on their playground.

Buddy Benches encourage inclusiveness by providing a place where students can sit if they are looking for someone to play with. They can also be used as a place to problem-solve with a classmate. The girls said they see kids playing outside by themselves who seem lonely, and they want everyone to have a chance to make new friends. After successfully pitching their idea to their principal, the students created a presentation for District 54's assistant director of facilities. Due to the girls' enthusiasm, along with their research, the district approved the idea and committed to matching the amount Churchill raised so two benches could be installed.

Mia, Juliana and Katya worked with the school's Make a Difference Club to raise awareness and financial support for the Buddy Bench through a four-week Penny Wars challenge. They hung posters, created a dashboard to track fundraising progress, visited classrooms to encourage students to donate, and shared information on the morning announcements. The benches will be installed this summer.

INSPRA will honor all District 54 recipients during its annual Distinguished Service Awards luncheon on May 5 in Bolingbrook.