St. Charles North grad Gemma Gurney named 2025 Kane County Educator of the Year

Gemma Gurney, a high school social studies teacher at Central School District 301 – and herself a St. Charles North graduate – was named 2025 Kane County Educator of the Year.

The Kane County Regional Education Office hosted the annual Educator of the Year Awards dinner May 2 at the Q Center in St. Charles, where more than 800 attended, officials said in a news release.

“Being an educator always just felt like the thing that I was supposed to do,” Gurney said in the release. “I went to St. Charles North High School, so a lot of my influence comes from Kane County schools. I’m not the same person I was in high school, and it’s okay to show who you are and be vulnerable. I watch teachers do that, and I think it’s admirable, to be who you truly are in front of your students. Mine know when they are going to have the authentic version of me.”

Gurney said she strives to create meaningful moments in the classroom, using visual and interactive elements to engage students with historical topics as well as current events.

A group of student teachers, retired teachers, university and business representatives, national board certified teachers and the Regional Office staff reviewed the 46 nominations from Kane County schools.

The Regional Superintendent Award went to Monika Hubble, a social studies teacher at Rotolo Middle School in Batavia.

The Educational Service Personnel Award went to Heather Mendel, also at Rotolo Middle School.

The Student Support Personnel Award went to Olivia Bennett at Geneva High School.

Middle School Teacher of the Year went to Kari Pitstick at Kaneland Harter Middle School; High School Teacher of the Year went to science teacher Ben Provencher at St Charles East High School.

The Early Career Educator Award went to Micah Hook at West Aurora High School; Elementary/Early Childhood Award went to Michelle Bannerman who teaches second grade at Hampshire Elementary School in District 300; and the School Administrator Award went to David Ballard at East Aurora District 131.

“The Kane County Educator of the Year Awards are always among our most anticipated events each year because this reminds us of what is worth advocating for in education, ” Regional School Superintendent Patricia Dal Santo said in the release.

“The people make the difference, and this is our way of letting these educators know that we see their hard work and recognize every bit of themselves that they pour into their relationships with students, families, and colleagues,” Dal Santo said in the release.