News Releases
April 2006 Employee of the Month:
Mary VanAcker, Program Assistant, Willow Bend School
“Mary strives for excellence in all areas,” said her nominator. “She spends time above and beyond her day to exceed expectations for the benefit of all children.”
This is Mary’s fifth year in District 15 and at Willow Bend. She’s currently a program assistant in teacher Erin Arnold’s third/fourth-grade classroom, and, according to Erin, “assists in instructing both.” A large amount of Mary’s time is spent assisting students with reading and math. Before this year, Mary worked with students in the school’s reading intervention programs and in first/second-grade classrooms.
“Mary has a phenomenal rapport with all the children and families and is always kind, considerate, and compassionate,” her nominator commented. “She takes initiative, shares her excellent insight, and is always open to new processes and ideas.”
The children are the reason Mary likes her job. “I really enjoy the kids, especially now that my own kids are older,” she said. “They’re refreshing.” She’s also happy at Willow Bend. “Everyone here is very nice,” she commented. “The staff has always been very helpful, especially when I first came back to work after being a stay-at-home mom for ten years!”
Originally from Massachusetts, Mary attended the University of Notre Dame, earning a B.A. in English. She moved to Illinois in 1979 and worked for Illinois Bell and AT&T in a number of positions including training, human resources, and management. She and her husband Michael are the parents of two children: son Michael, a sophomore of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and daughter Caroline, a junior at Fremd High School. Most of Mary’s free time has been taken up with being a sports mom, since both her children play soccer and volleyball, and when they were younger, basketball and baseball. Mary also enjoys reading, traveling in the United States, and home decorating.
“Mary’s dedication and talents are a true gift to any co-worker or child who has the good fortune to work with her,” her nominator said.
Mary will be recognized at the April 5, 2006, Board of Education meeting, to be held at Walter R. Sundling Junior High School, at 7 p.m.
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