News Releases
February 2007 Employee of the Month:
Denise Thrasher, Coordinator, Low Incidence Program, Student Services
 February 1, 2007
Denise Thrasher is rarely at her desk at the Joseph M. Kiszka Educational Service Center. That’s because she’s usually in schools working with teams and parents to make sure students’ needs are being met.
As coordinator of the Low Incidence Program, a position she’s held since she came to the district in 2004, Denise works with staff in the AIME (Adapted Instruction for Meaningful Education) program, inclusion program, multiply handicapped classrooms, visually impaired program, hearing impaired program, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and adapted physical education teachers. All these responsibilities result in an extremely demanding schedule. Last year, from August through May, she attended 151 IEP (Individual Education Plan) meetings, made or received 1,583 phone calls, sent or answered 9,410 e-mails, attended 52 team meetings, and spent more than 502 hours in classrooms. In addition, she chairs the committee formed to research, develop, and implement a new reading curriculum geared to meet the needs of the low incidence student population, and she also is district coordinator for the Illinois Alternative Assessment evaluation, taking a leading role in training staff to improve District 15’s results.
“Her boundless energy and desire to be there for students, staff, and parents make her truly deserving of this recognition,” her nominator said.
During her 26 years in education, Denise spent 19 years as a deaf education teacher before becoming low incidence supervisor in an Ohio school district. She earned her undergraduate degree in deaf education and elementary education from Bowling Green State University and her master’s in special education and supervision from Ohio State University. After moving to Illinois, she earned a second master’s from Roosevelt University in educational change and organizational leadership, and she’s currently working on a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Northern Illinois University.
“I always wanted to teach,” Denise said. She’s not entirely sure why she chose to focus on deaf education, although she had learned sign language as a young child to communicate with a great aunt who lived with the family. “I think I just lucked into it, and I loved it,” she said of her career path. She also took coursework on visual impairment, autism, and assistive technologies, because she felt she should know more about areas she might supervise. Denise said she feels fortunate to be working in District 15 with the “highly professional” staff here. “What impressed me so much when I first came here was how hard working the teachers are, and how much they care about their students. I’ve got to match them!”
Denise moved to Illinois from Ohio after her marriage to husband Gary. She has a daughter, Amy, who’s in college in Ohio, and a stepson, P.J., a junior at Glenbard North High School. She has little time for leisure pursuits, but doesn’t mind because, she says, “Learning is my life. I truly love reading and learning.”
Denise will be recognized at the February 14, 2007, Board of Education meeting, to be held at Walter R. Sundling Junior High School, at 7 p.m.
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