Student Excellence Foundation Recognizes Educators and Volunteers

The Student Excellence Foundation of Wheaton Warrenville District 200 honored six current and two retired educators, and a Foundation volunteer at its “Celebrate Our Stars” evening April 26 at Wheaton North High School. Along with celebrating honorees, attendees enjoyed a pizza tasting from local restaurants, and the evening included a check presentation by C2 Education.

The Foundation received 93 nominations from District 200 students, parents/guardians, alumni, staff and members of the community. The 13th Annual Distinguished Educator Award recipients were chosen in a blind-selection process by a panel of three retired District 200 principals.

2018 Distinguished Educator Award Recipients:

Kim Theodore, Hawthorne Elementary

Kimberly Joy Minarich, Monroe Middle School

Michael Neuhaus, Wheaton North High School

Joanna Wsol, Lincoln Elementary

Edilvergel (Edgie) Quetua, Hubble Middle School

Dr. Craig Lawrence, Wheaton Warrenville South H.S.

2018 All-Star Volunteer Recipient:

Barb Marquardt, Fundraising & Swing Fore Student Excellence Committees

2018 Golden Star Award honoring distinguished retired educators:

Chuck Baker, Former Principal Wheaton Central H.S. & Wheaton Warrenville South H.S.

Ralph Heatherington, Former Principal Wheaton North High School

Proceeds from the evening will benefit grants awarded to educators for innovating teaching methods as well as initiatives designed to help at-risk students.

Businesses who donated pizza and other items to make the evening a success include Evviva Pizzeria and Cafe, Gino’s East, Stella’s Pizza and Pub, Barone’s of Glen Ellyn, Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, Maciano’s Pizza and Pastaria, Rosati’s, Terrano’s Pizza and Pasta, Chili’s, Voortman Bakery, Culligan, Andrew’s Garden and C2 Education. The event was sponsored by Robbins Schwartz, Bauer and Bauer, Chuy’s, DuPage Credit Union, RAI Wealth, Advanced Healthcare and Gallagher. Entertainment was provided by an ensemble of students from the Wheaton Warrenville South orchestra.

The Student Excellence Foundation for Wheaton Warrenville District 200 (formerly the Network for Educational Excellence in Wheaton-Warrenville) was founded in 1992 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The foundation engages the community to enrich educational opportunities for District 200 students with Student Excellence Grants, future-ready learning resources, STEM materials, enrichment programs, and the annual “Celebrate Our Stars” educator and volunteer recognition awards. It serves more than 1,000 educators and 13,000 students (grades K-12) and is run by parent and community volunteers.