May 1 wasn’t just National Principal’s Day for Jefferson Elementary’s Melanie Bickley. She also received a surprise: She was named Administrator of the Year by the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

The 2024 season was the first time Drew Hoth didn't play tackle football since the fifth grade. But he had a new passion to takes it places as he started student teaching. He's set to be a 5th grade teacher at Mitchell when the school opens in the fall.

Knowing more than one language is a value that Joette Ball cherishes. “It’s not a hobby, it’s a skill,” she said. Ball has two children who are enrolled in DeKalb School District 428‘s two-way dual-language program.

Sycamore educator Annette Keca is going to space. Sort of. To be more precise, she’s been selected as one of 80 educators across the country to participate in a prestigious Teacher Innovator Institute at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

A group of social workers, teachers and coaches at Sycamore High School has come together to form a coalition to support student athletes’ health, both body and mind.

By all accounts, Sycamore Middle School career and technical education teacher Kevin Boltz has gone above and beyond to give his students access to equipment that some only see once they’ve arrived on a college campus.

Deb Wheeler, one of three family members who work at South Prairie Elementary School in Sycamore, is getting ready to retire at the end of the school year. “[It’s] bittersweet because I do love what I do," she said.

From our Thank You Teachers special section: Read the letters sent by students and parents to DeKalb County teachers

Multiple Kishwaukee College educators and staff recently received accolades for their efforts inside and out of the classroom.