Ingleside teacher wins Lake County Educator of the Year; ‘Always put the kids first’

Educators spent a jubilant evening celebrating their achievements and contributions to local education at the third-annual Lake County Educator of the Year event hosted by the Regional Office of Education.

Under the twinkling lights at the Lake County Fairgrounds, more than 140 teachers, administrators and support staffers were recognized as nominees for a number of Educator of the Year categories. Nearly 800 attended the event, the most in the event’s history.

Regional Superintendent of Schools Michael Karner said Lake County school districts are ranked nationally every year, and place at the top of the state rankings.

“Lake County is comprised of many amazing school districts,” he said. “This is the best county in the state of Illinois. There is no district here where you cannot get a great education.”

The evening culminated with the announcement of the 2024 Educator of the Year, a teacher nominated by colleagues and administrators. This year the award was presented to Dawn Smith, a second-grade teacher at Big Hollow Elementary School in Ingleside.

“She provides a positive, nurturing environment where students are supported,” Karner said as he shared comments written about Smith. “One family described her as the epitome of what you hope for in a classroom teacher.”

Smith, who has been teaching for more than 30 years, said her favorite part of teaching is sharing new ideas and concepts with students. She also said she loves to be their cheerleader.

The secret to excellent teaching, she said, is “always put the kids first.”

Each school district in Lake County has the opportunity to nominate one candidate in each of the nine categories. A panel of judges not affiliated with the school districts selects a winner from each category. Then, one nominee, Smith, was honored as the 2024 Educator of the Year.

In the Elementary Teacher category, Kate Whitehead, a pre-kindergarten teacher at Lake Bluff Elementary School in District 65, was selected as the 2024 winner. Margarita Castrejon, a Spanish teacher at Woodland Middle School, won the Middle School Teacher category; and Thomas Bredemeier, a math teacher at Barrington High School in District 220, won the High School Teacher award.

The winner in the School Administrator section was Michele Bertola, principal for the O’Plaine Campus of Warren Township High School in District 121. In the Diverse Learner/Special Education Teacher category, the award was presented to James Witt, a resource teacher at Sarah Adams Elementary School in District 95.

An award for Early Career Educator was presented to Fariha Biabani, a fourth/fifth grade teacher at River Trail School in Gurnee.

The winner of the Student Support Personnel category was Altair Trujillo Estrada, who works at H.R. McCall Elementary School in District 60. Alex Letto, an office interventionist at the Special Education District of Lake County, won the award for Educational Service Personnel and Jessica Ferrara, a third-grade teacher at Most Blessed Trinity Academy in Waukegan won in the private school category.

In addition to honoring traditional educational roles, the event also recognized the vital contributions of custodial and maintenance staff, highlighting their “indispensable role” in educational environments.

“They are the reasons why schools are so safe to actually be in,” Karner said. “We’d just like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and just know that you are truly appreciated”

Last year, the Regional Office recognized paraprofessionals and school nurses the year prior.

Winners of other state and regional awards were recognized Wednesday night included the teachers nominated for the Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching, the Illinois Principals Association Principal of the Year and the Lake County Superintendent of Distinction.

chilles@chicagotribune.com