LM May.2021

Education Elevat g We continue our series highlighting tremendous educators across Illinois who have given their time and energy to ele- vating the superintendency and public education as a whole. Each month, we will feature two educators who are going the extra mile and truly making a difference beyond their school districts and local communities. While we are aware of many of the contributions administrators are making, we are open to any suggestions for someone to feature next month. To make a recommendation, contact Jason Nevel, IASA Director of Social Media and Publications, at jnevel@iasaedu.org or by calling 217–753–2213.

Dr. SteveWebb Goreville CUSD#1

Dr. GenevraWalters Kankakee SD#111

Who: Dr. Steve Webb, superintendent What: National presenter and expert on school safety tactics, including ALICE active threat training and RAIDER training; Certified police officer; Illinois Terrorism Task Force School Safety Working Group; Author of Education in a Violent World: A Practical Guide to Keeping our Kids Safe.

Who: Dr. Genevra Walters, superintendent.

What: Sharing a back-to-school plan with peers before start of 2020-21 school year; competency-based education pilot; Kankakee County Teen Court; National Youth Project

Using Minibikes; Fostering community partnerships.

Where: Kankakee SD #111. When: Superintendent of Kankakee SD #111 since May 2014. Why: Dr. Walters recognized early in life a one-size-fits- all approach is not the best fit for all students. As superintendent, she has tried to foster innovation and creativity to make sure education within Kankakee SD #111 looks different. “My older sister is disabled, and I recognized early on her experience at school was much different than mine, so I’ve always tried to figure out why I might love schools but other kids don’t,” Dr. Walters said. Kankakee SD #111 was among the 10 school districts that participated in the Illinois State Board of Education’s Competency-Based High School Graduation Requirements Pilot Program in 2017. The pilot program was launched to spur innovation in the way high schools

Where: Goreville CUSD #1. Shawnee Region. When: Superintendent at Goreville CUSD #1 for 19 years. Why: With limited resources, Goreville CUSD #1 could not afford to hire a full time school resource officer to help protect students in the district. In 2009, Dr. Webb enrolled in the police academy, earned his badge and became the first dual superintendent and SRO in the state. Since then, Dr. Webb has become a national presenter and expert on school safety tactics. He has presented at more than 100 conferences and seminars across the country on emergency preparedness. He also is a certified trainer and authored a book, Education in a Violent World: A Practical Guide to Keeping our Kids Safe, and serves on the Illinois Terrorism Task Force School Safety Working Group. Dr. Webb developed a process called the S.A.F.E.

26

LM May 2021