The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has announced over 500 Illinoisans honored for their extraordinary contributions to education across the state through its annual Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year Awards. Hillcrest High School’s Theresa Kelsey, Special Education Teacher, has earned the Award of Special Recognition!
The annual Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year Awards celebrate incredible classroom teachers, administrators, teams, volunteers, and school support personnel who have made lasting impacts on the students, families, and fellow educators in their school communities.
“We are thrilled to receive the news that Theresa Kelsey has been recognized as a 2024 Those Who Excel Award winner,” said Hillcrest Principal Ron Towner. “Mrs. Kelsey continually goes above and beyond for the students of Hillcrest High School and she embodies what it means to be a Hawk. Her commitment to education and the impact she has made with our students is truly commendable. Congratulations Mrs. Kelsey!”
Kelsey began her teaching career 12 years ago in Blue Island, and has been a member of the Bremen High School District 228 family for the last eight years. She chose to become a special education teacher because her passion is to help students find their amazing abilities, and to help them believe in themselves.
Kelsey was nominated for the award by Rhonda Jackson, the mother of Elijah Jackson, one of Kelsey’s students. The submission alone brought Kelsey to tears.
“The fact that a parent could take five minutes out of their day to do something like this for me makes me so proud of myself, and makes me so proud to make her proud of our profession,” Kelsey said. “Hillcrest is such a good school, full of amazing teachers and great students. This award makes me feel as though we teachers come to work everyday and it doesn’t go unnoticed. It’s hard for a person to say that they are proud of themselves, but I am so proud of this profession and the work we do everyday.”
Jackson said Kelsey’s relationship with Elijah goes beyond a student-teacher connection. She says she nominated Kelsey because she feels as though there is a lot of pressure on teachers in today’s society.
“She does not push him when it comes to work. She makes sure that he understands… And they have the type of relationship where she can tell if he doesn't understand. So she'll go over it again, and then she'll make herself available during school hours or even weekends,” Kelsey said. “I just think she's really awesome. And I'm not just saying it to say it. It's because of her actions. She's been 100% since day one. I really looked for that because my son has special needs with learning, so I'm an advocate for him. And it's been such a blessing that she's been able to carry him through the whole school year. He has grown attached to her.”
District 228 Director of Special Education, Dr. Lisa Giglio Byzcek, praised Kelsey for her hard work in the classroom.
“She is the gold standard when it comes to caring about her students, being flexible and creative in the classroom, and going above and beyond in everything she does. Theresa inherently believes that given the right support, there is no limit to what our Hillcrest Hawks can achieve,” Dr. Giglio Bycek said.
She continued by saying, “Some of the above and beyond duties Theresa takes on include running a 9th hour credit recovery program and serving as a homebound instructor for students who are too medically compromised to come to school. In fact, she was selected to present on this topic at the national Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Annual Convention in San Antonio, TX in March on the topic, Project Based Learning for Homebound Students. Theresa is passionate about teaching, this award could not have gone to a more deserving special educator.”
ISBE will celebrate the awardees at a banquet on May 18.
“There's no doubt that our devoted educators in Illinois go above and beyond for our students every single day," said Governor JB Pritzker in an ISBE media release. “I'm especially excited to honor the 2024 Those Who Excel Awardees and Teacher of the Year Cohort Members, who have demonstrated unwavering commitment to their communities and the young people they serve. To these outstanding professionals across Illinois—thank you for helping to shape the leaders of tomorrow."
Additional ISBE information regarding this award can be seen here.