Elgin Area School District U-46 honors volunteers

The Elgin Area School District U-46 Board of Education recognized its numerous volunteers at a reception held June 2. Each year, parents, community members and even students, volunteer their time to support the board and U-46 administration.

During the ceremony, Leo Nelson, president of the Elgin Chamber of Commerce, was recognized as the U-46 Volunteer of the Year. Nelson has served on the district's Business Advisory Council for the past 10 years, the Implementation Review Committee for five years, and on the Budget Advisory Task Force in 2009-10.

Nelson also is one of the founding members of the U-46 Educational Foundation and serves as the foundation's vice president. According to Board President Ken Kaczynski, "We're not just recognizing Leo for his work this year - or for even a few years. It's more of a lifetime achievement award for a loyal volunteer and friend of U-46."

Volunteers serve a variety of roles in U-46. For example, the Citizens' Advisory Council has been advising the board of education for more than 50 years. For the second year in a row, the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council sought nominations for the student board member, conducted interviews and presented their recommendation to the board of education.

Other volunteer groups recognized at the event included the Senior Citizen Advisory, several Career and Technical Education Program advisory committees, the Gifted Advisory Committee, the School Safety Advisory Task Force, the U-46 Educational Foundation and the Budget Advisory Task Force.