The Plano School District will host its ninth annual “Salute to Service” awards ceremony on Monday, May 6, 2024 at 6 PM. The ceremony will honor Plano Premier Award recipients, ISBE “Those Who Excel” winners, service award achievements and retirees. This grand celebration will be held in the Auditorium at Plano High School. Community members, family, friends and past and present students are invited to attend and congratulate these staff members and enjoy a dessert reception following the ceremony.
PLANO PREMIER AWARDS
Heartfelt congratulations to the following recipients of the 2024 Plano Premier Awards; over 100 staff members and teams were nominated:
§ PK-6 Teachers
o Nicole Kulbartz - Kindergarten Teacher, PH Miller School
o Rikki Rodriguez - Kindergarten Teacher, PH Miller School
§ PK-6 Early Career Educators
o Samantha Grzanich - Second Grade Teacher, Centennial School
o Miriam Vivanco - Bilingual Teacher, Centennial School
§ PK-6 Educational Service Personnel - Karen Koller - Permanent Substitute Teacher, Emily G Johns School
§ PK-6 Student Support Personnel - Pam Reilly - Instructional Coach, Emily G Johns School
§ PK-6 Support Teams
o Social Work Team - PH Miller School (Grant Guenzler & Jackie Winter)
o Empower Paraprofessional Team - Emily G Johns (Maritza Burciaga, Ashley Coulter, Marisa Fotopoulos, Maddie Hernandez, Colleen Jones, Jayme Martin, Stacie Rice & Esmeralda Socha)
§ PK-6 Certified Teams
o Summit Committee - Emily G Johns School (Jamie Coit, Kelly Klingberg, Alexandra Martin, Jimena Moreno, SarahAnn Payne & Pam Reilly)
o Explore Team - Emily G Johns (Matt Chalfin, Terrie Heiser, Amy Kastel, Matt Kee, Leigh Lederman, Kevin McCammon & Kelly Snee-Brinegar)
§ PK-6 Administrator - Leslie Kressin - Assistant Principal, Emily G Johns
§ 7-12 Teachers
o John Alesch - Computer Teacher, Plano Middle School
o Cara Van Dyck - Reading Specialist, Plano Middle School
§ 7-12 Early Career Educators
o Samantha Peruski - Spanish Teacher, Plano Middle School
o Brooke Pable - English Teacher, Plano High School
§ 7-12 Educational Service Personnel - Renee DeCamp - Paraprofessional, Plano High School
§ 7-12 Student Support Personnel - Lauren Williams - Interventionist, Plano High School
§ 7-12 Certified Team - 7th Grade Purple Team - Plano Middle School (Sydney Hackley, Kathleen Kuntzman, Michelle Long, Zach Oleksiak, Meghan Pahlke, Samantha Peruski & Abigail Young)
§ District Educational Service Personnel - Ken Ridgeway - Maintenance Assistant/Grounds
§ District Student Support Personnel - Tyler Mulligan - Social Work Intern/Coach
§ District Team - Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan Team - Tammi Campbell, Claire Landsteiner & Pam Reilly
§ District 88 Community Award - Al Gruidl
2024 ISBE “Those Who Excel” Winners
Meritorious Service:
Classroom Teacher- Joe Kampf - Technology & Engineering Teacher, Plano High School
Educational Service Personnel- Ken Ridgeway - Maintenance Assistant/Groundskeeper
Team - Centennial School Special Education Team - Morgan Lee, Shannon Warner & Amaya Zimmerman
Administrator- Luke Baughman - Principal, Emily G Johns School
Community Volunteer - Kathy Benoit - Administration Office
Special Recognition:
Classroom Teacher- Elizabeth Schroeder - Music, Centennial School
Early Career Educator- Samantha Grzanich - 2nd grade Teacher, Centennial School
SERVICE RECOGNITION
The following staff members will celebrate milestone years of service awards and will receive pins and certificates:
10 Years – Angelica Nicola, Brittany Pezold, Krista Bennett, Dan Grzanich, Morgan Lee, Lori Johnson, Ashley Ledermann, Gretchen Heath, Gail Criss, Anthony Abbinanti, Angela Coakley & Tina Podschweit
15 Years – Tammi Davis, Lindsey Wendt, Beth Mendez, David Lay, Tim Staton, Joe Kampf, Dave Hislop, Nancy Kick,
Ruth Michaelson & Sue Rydzewski
20 Years – Renee Moody, Shannon Warner, Amy Winter, Leslie Young & Susan Webb
25 Years – Kari Gerakaris & Heidi Heiman
RETIREMENT RECOGNITION
Last, but certainly not least, the following retirees will be recognized during the “Salute to Service” ceremony:
§ Brenda Albright – Secretary, Centennial School (2001-2024)
§ Alan Boutin – Bus Driver (2012-2023)
§ Carolyn Olson – Fourth Grade Teacher, Emily G Johns School (1998-2024)
§ Kathy Benoit – Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent & Board of Education (1993-2024)