Nominate a DeKalb County teacher for educator award

SYCAMORE – DeKalb County residents are invited to nominate a deserving education professional for an Excellence in Education Award before the Oct. 31 deadline.

Award winners receive $1,000 and public recognition during an awards ceremony planned for spring 2025, according to a news release.

Visit dekalbccf.org/eie to submit a nomination and for additional details.

Given annually, the Excellence in Education Awards honor outstanding teachers, administrators and support staff in DeKalb County schools. Every public school district and private school in DeKalb County is eligible to nominate a person for each of the following areas:

• Pre-K through fifth grade teacher.
• Sixth through eighth grade teacher.
• Ninths through 12th grade teacher.
• Administration.
• Support Staff (e.g., secretaries, classroom aides, custodians, food service, bus drivers, and maintenance).

To qualify for an award, nominees must be employed by their respective school district for at least five years and plan to continue active employment in the upcoming year. They should also hold the respect and admiration of students, parents and colleagues and be actively involved in voluntary, nonpaid community activities. Past nominees who did not win the award are eligible for renomination, while past recipients are ineligible for future nominations. A list of past recipients is available on the Community Foundation website.

The awards are made possible through the generosity of Yvonne Johnson, a retired elementary school teacher from the Sycamore School District. Johnson established the DeKalb County Excellence in Education Award Fund in 1999 at the DeKalb County Community Foundation

Nominations are sent to the nominee’s school district for review by the school’s nomination committee. For information, contact Community Foundation Grants Director Jolene Willis at 815-748-5383 or j.willis@dekalbccf.org.