Ten award categories*:

• Early Career Educators (0–3 years of experience)

• Classroom Teachers (4+ years of experience)

• Teachers of Diverse Learners (multilingual and special education teachers)

• Certified Student Support Staff (social workers, counselors, nurses, speech-language pathologists, psychologists, librarians, instructional coaches, deans, and others)

• Non-Certified Student Support Staff (aides, paraprofessionals, student supervisors, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, resource officers and others)

• School Support Personnel (such as administrative assistants, attendance office staff, custodians, and others)

• Building Principals

• Community Volunteers / Advocates (board members, booster club members, parent association members, and others who positively contribute their time and energy to their school/district)

• Innovation in Education (educators in any of the above categories making a positive difference with new, innovative, and out-of-the-box practices)

• Lifetime Achievement (an educator with an extraordinary record in the field who is in their final 5-10 years of service)

[*Awards will only be given in categories that have four or more nominations.]

A panel of regional educators (selected by the Will County Director of Professional Development) will conduct a blind review to narrow the field to three finalists per category, with the Regional Superintendent selecting the winners.

We will honor these exceptional educators at a special awards ceremony on April 2, 2026 from 5–7 pm at Juliet’s in Joliet.

Thursday, April 2, 2026

5pm - 7pm