D219 Community,
Last week, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) honored 490 educators in Illinois for their extraordinary contributions to education through the annual Those Who Excel & Illinois Teacher of the Year Awards. If you remember, our very own Mr. Justin Johnson, Band Director, was awarded the 2021 Illinois Teacher of the Year through this ISBE recognition program.
Ms. Liz Dribin-Khoshaba, Niles West Teacher in the Special Education Department, joins this amazing group of educators who was recognized with a 2023 Meritorious Service Award of Special Recognition in the Teacher category.
Liz, along with all other honored educators, including thirteen 2023 Illinois Teacher of the Year finalists, will be invited to an awards banquet in April to celebrate this distinguished honor.
ISBE received a record number of nominations and applications this year for the 2023 Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year Awards. We nominated Ms. Dribin-Khoshaba, who is also the 2022 Niles West Zemsky Teacher of the Year, because of her passion for supporting all of her students to excel, and because she goes above and beyond to show her students their greatest potential and helps them reach it. Liz completed an application with glowing recommendation letters from her Director Stephanie Hentz, parents, and students. All of these testimonials contributed to Liz’s nomination and application, and are a testament to how awesome she is! Please join us in congratulating Liz on her amazing accomplishment!
You can visit the ISBE website for photos and bios of the 2023 Illinois Teacher of the Year finalists along with more information about the 2023 Those Who Excel awards.