Educators of Excellence Awards
Educators of Excellence Awards
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