Schools

First Winner Announced For 'Making MyD97 Better' Award

Meet Charlie Kane, interim building engineer at Lincoln Elementary School.

Posted on December 13, 2019

In November 2019, District 97 introduced its new "Making MyD97 Better" Award, which recognizes staff, students, parents and community members who are making their schools a better place for all. We will choose a winner each month, and share their stories through our newsletters, website and social media pages.

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We are thrilled to announce our first "Making MyD97 Better" winner: Charlie Kane, interim building engineer at Lincoln Elementary School.

Charlie arrived at Lincoln at the beginning of the 2019-20 school year as crews were working to complete the school's expansion project. He played a vital role in preparing the building for the first day of school, and his dedication, hard work and positive attitude quickly earned him the respect of Lincoln's students and staff. One of the many individuals who nominated Charlie said:

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"Charlie has been an invaluable asset to Lincoln School since the moment he walked in the door. The time and energy Charlie devotes to the school is evident through his actions and relationships with staff, students and the community. He is incredibly helpful to any staff with any request, and he is quick to step in and take care of what needs to be done. Charlie is great with the students; whether it be helping them out or reminding of a behavior, he does it with amazing respect. He always has a positive attitude and is always hard at work doing things that need to be done to keep Lincoln a clean and safe school. In his short time here, he has rightfully earned the respect and appreciation of the staff and students of Lincoln, and he is definitely making D97 a better place. We don't believe Lincoln would have been ready to open without his leadership, guidance, and support those last days before the doors opened for the students!"

(Oak Park Elementary School District 97)

Do you know someone—a teacher, staff member, parent, student or community member—who is helping to make D97 a better place for all? CLICK HERE to share their story and nominate them for a "Making MyD97 Better" Award!


This press release was produced by the Oak Park Elementary School District 97. The views expressed here are the author's own.