D214 Alumni, Parents Can Thank an Educator Now

In debate practice at Wheeling High School, Rishi Ganti didn't realize his coach would have such a profound impact on his life.

Now a successful investor who holds three Harvard degrees, Ganti says retired teacher Dan Tantillo's lessons live on: Interviewed live in 2017 on international TV, he was comfortable, he says, largely because of Tantillo's debate instruction as a teen.

"The thousands of hours we spent debating and working with Mr. Tantillo eventually became a skill that I recognized other adults didn't have and ultimately would never have," Ganti says. "Draw a line among the extraordinarily successful WHS graduates of a certain era, and you will find Mr. Tantillo at the center of nearly all of them."

Ganti is among the High School District 214 graduates and parents paying homage now to educators through the "Part of My Story" campaign, a fundraising and thank-you opportunity through the District 214 Education Foundation.

The campaign allows graduates, parents and others to honor a teacher, coach, administrator, aide or anyone else from their -- or their child's -- high school years who positively impacted and shaped the story of their life.

A minimum $25 gift to the Foundation empowers the opportunity to thank an educator, with personalized messages printed on postcards that will be distributed to honorees during National Teacher Appreciation week beginning May 6.

Tributes can be made at www.214foundation.org/thankateacher.

Retired honorees will be notified to the best of the Foundation's ability; those who cannot be located, or who are deceased, will be listed on the Foundation website as a lasting legacy.

The deadline is Friday, May 2, 2019.

"It is so inspiring to see these tributes and truly understand the role that our District 214 educators play in the stories of our students," said Erin Brooks, Executive Director of the Foundation and Assistant Director of Community Engagement and Outreach. "This campaign provides a chance to say thank you, while also empowering the futures of current students in school today."

The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization supporting student success and innovation beyond the limitations of conventional funding for public education.

For more, visit www.214foundation.org.