ILLINOIS ART EDUCATION ASSOCIATION SELECTED DEANNA SORTINO AS
THE SECONDARY ART EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR

The Illinois Art Education Association selected Deanna Sortino as the Secondary Art Educator of the Year.

Deanna is an art and design educator at Niles West High School and graduate of Notre Dame and Lewis University.

Annually, the Illinois Art Education Association (IAEA) recognizes art, design, and media educators among a highly competitive slate of nominees. The awards and scholarship committee found Deanna’s professional performance, service, and leadership to the field to be exemplary in every regard and selected her for this recognition.

Deanna will be formally recognized by the IAEA on November 6th and 7th at the 2020 Annual Conference. Please join the Illinois Art Education Association in honoring and elevating Deanna for this recognition. 

The Illinois Art Education Association is the premier professional development provider for art, design, and media educators in Illinois. The organization serves thousands of teachers statewide through a wide range of programs and services.

Congratulations again to Deanna for her excellence!

ILLINOIS ART EDUCATION ASSOCIATION NAMES
STATE AWARD WINNER P.A. FORD 

The Illinois Art Education Association selected P.A. Ford as the Art and Design Administrator of the Year. 

P.A. Ford is an art and design administrator at Niles West High School. 

Annually, the IAEA recognizes art and design administrators among a highly competitive slate of nominees. The awards and scholarship committee found P.A. Ford’s professional performance, service, and leadership to the field to be exemplary in every regard and selected her for this recognition. 

P.A. will be formally recognized by the IAEA on November 6th and 7th at the 2020 Annual Conference. Please join the Illinois Art Education Association in honoring and elevating her for this recognition.

The Illinois Art Education Association (IAEA) is the premier professional development provider for art, design, and media educators in Illinois. The organization serves thousands of teachers statewide through a wide range of programs and services. 

Congratulations again to P.A. Ford for her excellence! 

ILLINOIS ART EDUCATION ASSOCIATION NAMES
NILES WEST HIGH SCHOOL STATE AWARD WINNER

The Illinois Art Education Association selected Niles West High School as the Art Education Program of the Year.

The Niles West High School Program consists of P.A. Ford, Deanna Sortino, Barb Wismer, John Zilewicz, and Alethea Busch.

Annually, the IAEA recognizes outstanding art educators and exemplary programs among a highly competitive slate of nominees. Our awards and scholarship committee found Niles West’s educational program to be exemplary and selected it for this recognition.

Niles West will be formally recognized by the IAEA on November 6-7 at the 2020 Annual Conference. 

The Illinois Art Education Association (IAEA) is the premier professional development provider for art, design, and media educators in Illinois. The organization serves thousands of teachers statewide through a wide range of programs and services.

Congratulations to Mr. Justin Johnson of Niles West, 2021 Illinois Teacher of the Year!

ISBE names Justin Johnson of Niles West High School 2021 Illinois Teacher of the Year

Listen to Mr. Johnson’s interview on @21stShow (WILL AM 580)

Mr. Justin Johnson, Niles West Zemsky 2020 Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to Justin Johnson, the Niles West Zemsky 2020 Teacher of the Year. His students say he is one of the most influential people in their lives, not to mention kind, dedicated, and caring. Although he could not be recognized at school, his students and coworkers drove by Justin’s house recently to celebrate him. Click here to see the video. Congrats!

NILES WEST TEACHER JUSTIN JOHNSON IS 2020 REGIONAL TEACHER OF THE YEAR AND FINALIST FOR ILLINOIS TEACHER OF THE YEAR

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) announced that Niles West Band teacher Justin Johnson is a 2020 Regional Teacher of the Year for Cook County.

Johnson is also in the running for the 2021 Illinois Teacher of the Year, the state’s highest honor for exemplary educators. A committee of administrators, teachers, educational service personnel, student support personnel, and past Illinois Teachers of the Year selected the 10 Regional Teachers of the Year from nominations across the state. State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala will select the 2021 Illinois Teacher of the Year from these 10 finalists. The Illinois Teacher of the Year will represent Illinois in the Council of Chief State School Officers’ National Teacher of the Year Program.

Niles West Principal Dr. Karen Ritter said, “Mr. Johnson is everything the Teacher of the Year Award represents. He is a kind, caring role model who always has the students’ best interests in mind. During remote learning, performance-based courses like his band classes are some of the most challenging courses to teach via Zoom, but he has researched the best models and methods to provide an enjoyable and rigorous experience for his students. When I visited Mr. Johnson’s classroom last year, I felt that I could spend the whole day there. He is an intense instructor who is so in tune with his students and their needs and brings them all together in an ensemble setting. I would have loved to have had a teacher like Justin Johnson.” 

ISBE will recognize all its Teacher of the Year awardees and announce the 2021 Illinois Teacher of the Year virtually during its Board meeting on Oct. 21, 2020.

Photos and bios of the 2021 Illinois Teacher of the Year finalists are available at www.isbe.net/teacheroftheyear. View a video of the Regional Teachers of the Year at https://youtu.be/_NF0z3LRmpQ.