INSPRA Awards Three from EPCHS with DSA's

Public education advocates throughout the State of Illinois were recently recognized for supporting their local schools and districts as part of the Illinois Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association’s (INSPRA) annual Distinguished Service Awards.

Through this awards program, INSPRA honors those who make a difference in their school communities by helping to promote public education and enhance its programs and services. Nominees are evaluated on their ability to support or improve understanding and communication in the school/district, foster cooperative partnerships between the school and community, and strengthen the overall support for education by stakeholders. School communicators from 13 states judge the entries against a criteria of excellence, and only those having top scores receive awards.

This year 51 individuals and teams were recognized including three individuals from Evergreen Park Community High School. They are Nolan Rahm, Mrs. Amy Kazin, and Mrs. Carol McCormick.

Nolan Rahm, who just completed his junior year at EPCHS, is receiving an Award of Excellence in the Student Category. Nolan is an honor student who is active in the fine arts and many academic clubs. Nolan joined the Evergreen Park Boy Scout Troop 644 in the first grade and has been working towards achieving his Eagle Scout status. To do so, he started a project at PAWS of Tinley Park when animals were sent there because of the hurricanes that hit Texas and Florida. Between the additional animals and donations made to help the animals, the original shed space was maximized. Nolan developed plans for a storage facility on the shelter’s property. He then worked to get permits for the project and formed relationships with many vendors to acquire materials. Construction has now started at PAWS. Nolan’s actions have had a positive impact on the community and set an example for his peers at EPCHS.

Mrs. Amy Kazin, Activities Director at EPCHS, is receiving an Award of Excellence in the Administrator Category. Amy has been a leader at EPCHS since she was in high school. As a student, communicating was natural for her and she knew how important it was to communicate her needs to reach her educational goals. Now working at EPCHS, Amy establishes communications protocols for all of the school’s activity groups and makes sure information provided to all stakeholders is current. One of her greatest strengths are her communication skills for fine arts events. In the Fall 2019 musical, a student who is homebound for school was able to be physically present and participate in the performance. The student has a serious allergy and Mrs. Kazin was able to communicate the situation to everyone and get them to agree to be compliant so the student could participate without being in harm’s way. In every way possible, Mrs. Amy Kazin is an outstanding communicator and a wonderful example of all that Evergreen Park Community High School has to offer.

Mrs. Carol McCormick, Principal’s Secretary, is receiving an Award of Merit in the Support Staff Category. Carol understands that celebrating the many successes of students and staff lets the community know that EPCHS is a great place to get an education, get involved, or go to work. She creates beautiful bulletin boards in the hallway for all to see including alumni in the military, recent news articles, birthdays, and more. Mrs. McCormick also participates in many activities and events. For example, when the Drama Department was scheduled to put on the play, “It’s a Good Life, Charlie Brown,” the school had invited senior citizens for a meal before the show. Carol said she wanted to see the show that night, but first she wanted to lend a hand to the senior citizens with any assistance they might need. No one asked her; it’s what she does and who she is. Carol is a resident of Evergreen Park who is proud of raising her family there and proud to work at EPCHS.

“Congratulations to our INSPRA Distinguished Service Award recipients,” said Superintendent O’Malley. “We have an outstanding student body and staff at EPCHS and Nolan Rahm, Mrs. Kazin, and Mrs. McCormick are examples of that.”