On Tuesday February 13th the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) announced the over 500 Illinoisans honored for their extraordinary contributions to education across the state through its annual Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year Awards. The annual Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year Awards celebrate incredible classroom teachers, administrators, teams, volunteers, and school support personnel who have made lasting impacts on the students, families, and fellow educators in their school communities. ISBE will celebrate the awardees at a banquet on May 18.
“There’s no doubt that our devoted educators in Illinois go above and beyond for our students every single day,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I’m especially excited to honor the 2024 Those Who Excel Awardees and Teacher of the Year Cohort Members, who have demonstrated unwavering commitment to their communities and the young people they serve. To these outstanding professionals across Illinois—thank you for helping to shape the leaders of tomorrow.”
“Congratulations to our 2024 Those Who Excel awardees and Teacher of the Year Cohort,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders. "These awards recognize the vital and exceptionally talented professionals who have dedicated their lives and careers to education across Illinois. They have chosen to aim their considerable talents and passion toward giving back to their communities, uplifting young people, and shaping our collective future for the better.” More information on these awards can be found at https://isbe.net/TWETOY.
Mokena School District 159 is very pleased to announce that through this program we have 3 recipients of the Award of Meritorious Service. ISBE presents the Award of Meritorious Service to those who have shaped their school community for the better. These educators and volunteers frequently employ their talents and passions, but also strive to be of service in unfamiliar domains. They have taken on leadership opportunities and their accomplishments are known and valued by multiple populations: colleagues, students, parents, and school leaders.
Dr. Michael Rolinitis, Principal at Mokena Junior High, has been recognized for his service as an administrator. Dr. Rolinitis is currently the longest serving administrator in the Mokena School District. During his tenure at Mokena Junior High he oversaw the transition from a high school scheduling model to grade level teams. Additionally, there has been a significant growth in student performance as measured by state assessments as a result of the school’s writing initiative. He is passing along what he has learned to future educational administrators by teaching graduate courses at the University of St. Francis.
Nisrin Al-Tikriti was recognized by ISBE as an outstanding Early Career Educator. Ms. Al-Tikriti serves as a teacher of English Language Learners at Mokena Intermediate School. Ms. Al-Takriti was an instrumental part of a committee of teachers and administrators who worked to redesign how Mokena 159 supports our multilingual learners. Through this work she has also built other teachers’ knowledge and skill sets in working with multilingual learners in the general education classroom. She works with students in understanding their goals and the progress they are making towards meeting their goals. Her instructional practices have led to numerous students meeting language proficiency, as well as 95% of her students meeting or exceeding their progress to proficiency goals from the state.
This school year Ms. Al-Tikriti spearheaded the idea to implement an ELL Family Informational Night. This night included information about our district’s programming, services, and supports. It also gave each family the opportunity to talk individually with her about their children and ask questions about the program. Ms. Al-Tikriti said of the award, “I am grateful and flattered. I measure myself by how much my students can learn from me… I consider this win a reflection of my students' success.”
Israel Smith was recognized by ISBE as a Community Volunteer. Mr. Smith currently serves the Mokena School District as a member of the Board of Education’s Finance Committee. He is also the producer and host of a podcast called Mokena’s Front Porch. His podcast is about the rich history of the Village of Mokena, and he has produced a number of episodes about the history of our school district. Mr. Smith has also served our school district as a member of our Strategic Planning Committee, is an active member of the Mokena Lions Club, and is a founding member of the Yunker Farm committee for the Mokena Park District. After learning of this recognition Mr. Smith stated, “I am honored to be recognized by the ISBE. I love our community and I am proud to do my part to keep it a great place to live!”
Rolinitis, Al-Tikriti, and Smith will be honored at the 50th Annual Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year Banquet on Saturday, May 18. Congratulations to all of the awardees! A full list of the awardees may be found here: https://www.isbe.net/Documents/TWE-TOY-Awardee-List-2024.pdf