Larry from Bus 4 was recognized five times in May for being an excellent bus driver and dedicated to keeping the children safe.  Larry has been responsive in communicating with us even reminding us of Team Days and holidays. We've had such a great experience with Larry that we were wondering if we could have him as a teacher for our son at Oak Ridge. Another nominator said that "Larry engages in conversation with my child and truly makes her bus rides enjoyable. She loves taking the bus because of him. He is always so friendly and always is so polite." Another nominator said this of Larry: "He is always so kind. Each day he greets us with a smile and assures us that our daughters will have a safe ride to school. Thank you Mr. Larry for all you do for our children! A fourth nominator added: "Larry has always been great and courteous to my daughters." And a fifth nominator summed it up this way: "Mr. Larry is the best bus driver. He really cares about our kids and their safety. When he is absent, my daughter always asks when is he coming back?" He is always on time and with a smile on his face. We are very lucky to have him as a bus driver."

Colleen was recognized for going above and beyond while preparing students for the end-of-the-year Farewell Show.  Each year, the show turns out amazing, the students do a fantastic job, and parents and teachers truly enjoy the performance all thanks to Colleen’s hard work and effort! Thank you so much for making the show amazing each year! Additionally, we would like to thank Colleen for helping our students participate in various holidays and events by working with them to complete many wonderful art projects. Colleen always works hard to make this process fun and engaging for the students, and when they see their work posted throughout the hallways, the students are truly proud of what they have achieved! Thank you, Colleen! Your hard work and dedication don't go unnoticed! 

Camille was recognized for having an incredible way with the children she works with. She is compassionate and dedicated and always does everything she can to help all of the children succeed. She is always willing to lend a hand to anyone for anything they need and works tirelessly to help students reach their goals. In addition to developing wonderful relationships with the students and staff, Camille also has an amazing way of relating to families. Her love for their children is obvious and it puts parents at ease to know that their children are in her capable and caring hands. She is simply amazing. 

Mike was recognized for  going above and beyond for keeping Sorrick running smoothly. When we ask Mike to do something he always does it immediately and with a smile. He is always available to help the staff by bringing the supplies that they need for their classroom and is always willing to clean up the constant water spills in the hallway and in the classroom. In the winter, he always made sure that the sidewalks were clean and safe for the staff and students. As the end of the year approaches, he prepares for all the special events on time, and has saved empty boxes for the teachers to pack up for the summer. His personal pride is exhibited in every task given to him as shown by the beautiful courtyard. Mike is dependable, respectful, punctual, diligent, knowledgeable, and considerate of all the teachers' needs. It is a pleasure to have him on our team and Sorrick is fortunate to have him. 

Jolanta was recognized for being a true reincarnation of a super-hero. She is constantly juggling 101 things, with grace might I add, and will always make time to smile your way. She is kind, hardworking, and I am so happy to see her every morning. Everyone loves Jola, and I wanted to heartily say thank you! 

Kelly was recognized for being a consistently positive, helpful, and kind force since day one. I have never seen a teacher care so much for her students; the time, energy, and love she puts in daily is astounding. I am so proud to be her co-worker. 

Michelle was recognized for using her experience and skill as a classroom teacher to identify issues with a student who was struggling. Mrs. Kjeldsen was very supportive to ensure the student had the greatest chance to succeed. Not only was Mrs. Kjeldsen supportive during the process of helping the child succeed and substantially grow academically, she took active measures using her experience to help reduce any learning loss. 

Melissa was recognized for .being an excellent Math teacher. She is very patient with her students and has a wonderful demeanor while in the classroom. The students respect her and yet she is able to make the learning environment fun for her students. Some of her students have considered her their best teacher ever! Thanks Ms. Stevens. 

Manal was recognized for being great at co-teaching and helping all the kids. She knows things the content teacher missed and she fills in. If the teacher pauses, she picks up the lesson. She is great at giving alternative ways to look at something. She is very patient and we at Conrady are lucky to have Manal on our team. 

Theresa was recognized for being extremely helpful and kind with Kaleb's transition back to school. I truly believe these qualities are an innate part of her personality and she is sweet and caring all the time. The world is a better place with her in it!

Maira or Mrs. M (as the kids call her) is awesome! She has been our son Jovan's bus driver for 3 years and we are so grateful. When Jovan went from Sorrick to Oak Ridge, we were nervous because Maira set the bar high for us and we did not know what to expect from a new driver. We were so excited when she pulled up on the first day of school this year. Jovan was nervous about going to a new school but seeing her gave him a burst of excitement to see a friendly face picking him up and bringing him home every day. She is very attentive and responsive to the needs of all the kids on Bus 21 but especially ours and we would like to recognize her for being the best bus driver hands down! Thank you so much for looking out for our kid, 

Vince was recognized for his positivity in the classroom and with his co-workers. Vince has a smile on his face all through the day and everyday. His students always enjoy being in the classroom with Mr. Annel. Our Math teachers have really stepped up this year to accommodate some changes that we have been dealt and we sincerely appreciate his efforts. 

Maddy is a first year teacher at Conrady and an alumni, so she is very in tune with Conrady's spirit and teamwork. She was recognized for her efforts that go beyond the classroom, with her involvement in facilitation of the Student Council. She is truly a gem and we are thrilled to have her as part of our math team. 

Since the first day of Parent Orientation, Kim has been a dream of a teacher for our daughter. We appreciate both her high level of education and the variety of professional experiences that have helped her develop her skills as a teacher. Beyond that, she is organized, highly responsive to questions, and provides very specific, useful feedback regarding our child's schoolwork. Lexie's academic skills have flourished since beginning kindergarten, even though she missed pre-K opportunities due to the pandemic. Her take-home schoolwork is cute, fun, and allows choices so that each student can work more in the areas that need strengthening. Although we as parents have little opportunity to observe actual classroom dynamics, Mrs. Pietryla posts regularly to a Twitter feed that showcases her love of her students. Additionally, it highlights her amazing ENERGY in maximizing the students' attention to productive classroom activities. The classroom decor and layout appears conducive to learning, student interaction and regular physical exercise which is so important for children. It is not good to be still all of the time for adults, either...and based on what we see on the Twitter feed, Mrs. Pietryla sets a good example here. She takes good care of us parents, too. For example, at the beginning of the school year, whenever Lexie had a problem in school (e.g. crying on the first day, urinating in her pants due to fear of the industrial toilets...etc.) Mrs. Pietryla called us right away to both notify and reassure us. As Lexie has a food allergy, Mrs. Pietryla called me ahead of time to ask permission to serve her hot chocolate during the Hot Chocolate Challenge. She spent some extra time with us (virtually) during our first parent-teacher conference and reacted with good humor to our audio-visual troubleshooting efforts. We have been spoiled by regular reminders of special dates/deadlines for school and classroom activities so it is almost impossible to forget. Mrs. Pietryla also seems to anticipate a variety of family/parental needs, such as when she let us know that one needn't subscribe to Twitter to access and view the classroom feed. To summarize, our daughter's (and ours, ahem) introduction to the school system has been a hugely positive one! Ironically, although Mrs. Pietryla has identified our daughter as having standout verbal expression abilities, when I ask Lexie what she loves about her teacher, she states quite seriously, "I love that she gives us recess."

Brad is an important asset to North Palos District 117. Conrady especially appreciates all the work Brad does for this building. Whether it's fixing student's Chromebook issues or getting staff members laptops to cooperate, Brad always gets the work done in a timely matter. Thank you for everything that you do! 

Alice was recognized for spending the week going in and out of classrooms to touch base with teachers and helping those who were having difficulty with the loss of Mr. Boam. 

Cathy was recognized for making dozens and dozens of Cubs and Bears masks for us to wear to honor our colleague, Brian Boam.

Ahlam has been an amazing co-worker to me. She has helped and supported me throughout my teaching journey. She is such a positive ray of sunshine. I love seeing her everyday. She always makes sure to incorporate and create a multilingual inclusive environment for all. 

Meghan was recognized for stepping up and taking many of Dorn's quarantined students for their remote instructional time..

Mike was recognized for .making sure that every child has a responsible adult to get him/her from the bus, and questioning any adults he does not recognize.

Laura wears her superhero teacher cape to help tackle every obstacle in her way. She uses her superpowers to fight off those challenges with patience, kindness and positive energy. Laura has super strength to manage two instructional grade levels (second and third grade) planning and teaching lessons, testing, writing reports, writing IEP goals and objectives and contacting parents. Her commitment to her students goes above and beyond as she stays long hours after school to create instructional materials for her students' individual needs. Laura deserves to be recognized as the star of the month because of her dedication to her students and passion for teaching.

Margaret was recognized for doing a magnificent job with students through her speech therapy. My son has improved tremendously and loves the fun and interactive activities. Margaret is very much in tune with her students' needs and interests.  Parents can also always count on her for additional support, questions and guidance.

Stefanie was recognized for working tirelessly to ensure that children are given the keys to unlock the ability to express themselves. She goes above and beyond her job description by thinking out of the box, and goes the extra mile to make sure that all children are gifted with what so many of us take for granted.....the freedom of speech. Stefanie is not only concerned with what the child knows, but also what the child becomes. She is priceless!!!!! 

Jeff was recognized for continuously being instrumental in assisting with student enrollment, Power School, InfoSnap and Meals Plus. His knowledge and expertise helps make all the programs we use with our student data run smoothly on a daily basis! He truly is a Star employee!