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Kane County honors top educators

Kane County honors its best and brightest educators

Holly Yee, a seventh-grade science teacher at Ellis Middle School in Elgin, is the Kane County Educator of the Year.

Yee was among 29 educators recognized Friday at the 41st annual Kane County Educator of the Year Awards banquet held at the Q Center in St. Charles.

2016 Educator of the Year: Holly Yee

"I'm so grateful to receive this award," Yee said. "It is my pleasure and honor to work with such great colleagues, parents and students each day in U-46. The passion and compassion for teaching is a ripple effect. I would not be the teacher that I am today without the support from the Ellis staff and families!"

Yee is known for pairing classroom learning and real-world applications. She developed her love of environmental sciences by spending time in Wallops Island, Virginia, working alongside marine scientists in high school.

"Integrating real world experiences with the curriculum makes learning meaningful and helps build a foundation for my students to be responsible for their own learning," Yee said.

Her nomination booklet was filled with photos or newspaper clippings of her students outside the classroom, wading through knee-deep water to identifying prairie grasses.

She will receive a $3,000 grant to use in her classroom.

Awards were presented by the Kane County Regional Office of Education to top educators in nine categories. The winners are:

Regional superintendent: Ryan Robinson, Burlington Central High School.

School administrator: Twila Garza, principal, Bardwell Elementary School, Aurora.

High school: Michelle Jurcenko, Spanish teacher and world language department chair, Kaneland High School.

Middle school: Linda Kleiner, English language arts, science, AVID classroom teacher, Lakewood School, Carpentersville.

Elementary school: Barbara Freeman, acceleration and enrichment reading and math teacher, Western Avenue Elementary, Geneva.

Preschool: Argelia Vivi Luna, early childhood, Oak Park Elementary, Aurora.

Early career educator: Jessica Weibler, communication skills and literature teacher, Harter Middle School.

Educational service personnel: Tina Zucker, administrative assistant, St. Charles North High School.

Student support personnel: LeeAnn Rodriguez, speech pathologist, Batavia Early Childhood Center.

Those retiring from education this school year also were recognized.

For educator profiles, visit kanecountyconnects.com.

Holly Yee
Ryan Robinson
Twila Garza
Michelle Jurcenko
Linda Kleiner
Barbara Freeman
Argelia Luna
Jessica Weibler
Tina Zucker
LeeAnn Rodriguez
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