LHS Teacher, Coach Honored With Best Of Lemont Award

LEMONT, IL — Lemont High School science teacher Tim Plotke was one of nine “Best of Lemont” honorees at the Lemont Community Awards Luncheon, which was hosted by the Lemont Chamber of Commerce and held at Ruffled Feathers Golf Club on Nov. 15. Plotke was honored as the Lemont High School Educator of the Year.

According to the school, for more than 25 years, Plotke has been a staple of the Science Department at Lemont High School, and he has impacted thousands of students as a teacher and coach. He has shown supreme dedication to ensuring his students have an innovative experience in his classroom.

Plotke has helped design several courses at Lemont High School that generate a great deal of student interest, including Biotechnology, Anatomy & Physiology Honors, and Zoology.

The school said Plotke has also helped pilot a “Live from the Heart” open heart surgery collaboration with Christ Hospital and the Museum of Science and Industry, and has received three grants from the Lemont High School Educational Foundation, including one to pilot a 1-to-1 learning environment in his classes that helped pave the way for the 1-to-1 environment the school employs across the board today.

Plotke consistently receives feedback from his students who have moved on to study science in college, and the school said the message is consistent: his classes laid a sound educational base for them in their studies at the college level.

As a coach, the school said Plotke has built one of the area’s best cross country and track and field programs. His girls’ cross country teams have won 18 conference championships, including 12 South Suburban Conference-Blue Division titles in the last 13 years. His girls’ teams have made 10 IHSA State Finals appearances, finishing as high as fourth in the state. He also has guided the girls’ track and field team to multiple conference titles, and been the recipient of several SSC Coach of the Year honors.

Other honorees at the event included Lee Addante (Police Officer), Eileen Bruno (Private School Educator), John Egofske (Civic Leader), Gelsosomo’s Pizzeria (Business), Sue Gray (School District 113A Educator), Pat Jurinek (Chamber Volunteer), Jennifer Macari (Business Leader) and Lt. Dave Spivak (Firefighter).

Photo provided by Lemont High School.