Awards aplenty for Orland SD 135
Originally published September 24, 2015
Orland School District 135 is a wonderful elementary school district.
Stories abound of teachers, administrators and staff who have gone above and beyond for education and their students.
During a banquet on Oct. 17 at the Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel, four district nominees are to receive Illinois State Board of Education Those Who Excel awards.
The state board each year honors individuals who make significant contributions to our schools, according to the board’s website. Awards for excellence, meritorious service and special recognition are presented in seven categories: classroom teacher, school administrator/principal, student support personnel (licensed), educational service personnel (unlicensed), school board member/community volunteer, team and early career educator, the website said.
District 135 honorees this year include nurse Donna Rehm, language arts teacher Michelle Kedzierski, custodian Joe Sendra and the district’s technology team. It’s quite a diverse group.
“This is our second year receiving honors from the ISBE, and my goal is to have representation from all of our schools,” Assistant Supt. Lynn Zeder said.
Rehm was nominated for her work as nurse at High Point School. However, she also is the team leader for the nursing staff at the 10 district schools, which serve 4,800 students. She has been with the district for 19 years.
“I am challenged every day to support the physical, emotional and social needs of students so that they may be successful in the learning environment,” she said in a release. “Students need to be healthy in order to learn. I am grateful that I have been able to serve the students and families of Orland School District 135 as their school nurse and hope to continue to make a difference in the lives of our school community.”
Rehm has served on various committees in District 135, including the school improvement team, the local school wellness committee and the safe schools committee. She was recognized by the district for saving the life of a colleague who was choking, and she since has trained hundreds of staff members, students and parents in CPR, how to use an automated external defibrillator, and how to perform the Heimlich maneuver.
“Educating students and staff is one of my passions,” Rehm said. “I educate students on subjects such as hand washing, food allergies, human growth and development, and healthy nutritional habits.”
Kedzierski, a reading teacher at Orland Junior High School, lives in Orland Park and has two children who attend district schools. She believes it is important to live and work in the community, and she is vested in making sure students have an excellent education. She has been teaching for 16 years, four of them in District 135.
Kedzierski’s nomination stemmed from her participation in the Smart Tech Summit in Calgary, Alberta and the Illinois Computing Educators conference. At these events, she was able to work with more than 100 amazing teachers from other continents. She utilizes Skype to communicate with educators in Europe on global collaboration projects. They use FaceTime, share desktops, use Google Hangouts (messaging, voice and video calls) and other tools to foster collaboration.
She also coaches fellow teachers with technology and reading projects. She works on Reading Plus, which helps foster a love for reading among students.
“Being nominated for this award was a complete surprise and delight,” Kedzierski said. “Throughout my career I have always brought in projects that stretch the curriculum to inspire and engage my students. I never imagined that I would be recognized in this manner.”
High Point Principal Cheryl Foertsch said Sendra is in his 32nd year in District 135, all at High Point.
“I nominated him because he cares about doing things right and completing tasks well,” Foertsch said. “He has high standards for students, staff and the community. He takes initiative and is always busy, never sitting — all work. He takes on responsibilities that may not be directed at him to be part of the team.”
Foertsch shared this story.
“A huge delivery was scheduled to be received for classroom libraries to create a reading workshop,” Foertsch said. “Joe jumped right in and got it organized for the teachers so that it was in their classrooms and ready to go. He is a great member of our team.”
The last honorees are those on the district technology team. Zeder said the group — all 75 members, from the secretary to tech coaches, tech coordinators, etc. — earned a nomination when they prepared 2,500 iPad Air tablets to be distributed to all third- to eighth-grade students in the district. That was quite a task, and the technology team rose to the occasion.
“It is all about having good people on our team,” Zeder said.
Save the date
From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, the Orland Fire Protection District will host an open house at its training facility, 10728 W. 163rd Place. Demonstrations will include a side-by-side burn, use of a helicopter (weather permitting), car extrication and fire response.
There also will be a fashion show. Public education coordinator Betsy Dine said fire district personnel will be modeling their dive, hazmat and other gear.
For more information, visit www.orlandfire.org or call (708) 349-0074.