The nursing staff at Hillcrest Elementary School and preschool teacher Toni Belken are winners of the 2024 Distinguished Service Awards in Downers Grade Grade School District 58.
They were honored at an awards ceremony May 15 along with 31 other award nominees.
“Our nominees share one common value: a solid dedication to the District 58 community and its students,” said District 58 Foundation Vice President and DSA Chairwoman Mia Churma. “Each of their contributions has made a lasting impact on the children and families we serve.”
Thirty-five teachers and staff members – nominees of the 2024 Distinguished Service Awards – were honored at the ceremony, sponsored and organized by the District 58 Foundation.
The winner in the Teacher Category is Toni Belken, a preschool teacher at Henry Puffer Elementary School. “This teacher saw all the positive aspects of my grandchild’s personality, humor, and intelligence, and made certain to emphasize those characteristics each day,” said the nominator at the awards ceremony.
In the staff category, winners are the nursing staff at Hillcrest School: Ann Brinkman, certified school nurse; and Erin Blank Addie Pampalone, building nurses.
“From the word go, the nursing staff at Hillcrest were a gift from the gods,” said the nominator, a parent whose son was diagnosed with Type I diabetes. “The real magic is in the way Ann, Erin and Addie have continued to care for my child as though he was one of their own children.”
The four winners were awarded a $100 Visa gift card, $100 to spend in their classroom or office and a crystal plaque. In addition, all nominees and winners received a pin, certificate and a copy of their nomination.
The Education Foundation of District 58 annually hosts the Distinguished Service Awards program to recognize the remarkable contributions of District 58 staff and teachers. In all, 35 staff members were nominated for 2024 and their nominator or principal read an excerpt from the nomination at the ceremony.
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