The Champaign Urbana Schools Foundation (CUSF) announced its 2024 Shining Stars Awardees, and two alumni from the College of Education made the list. Sarah Iehl, '00 B.S. '05 Ed.M. Elementary Education, and Kara Whiteley, '08 Ed.M. Secondary & Continuing Education, were among the nine recognized teachers.
Iehl has taught first through fifth grade at Dr. Howard Elementary for 20 years. Sarah is the math lead at Dr. Howard and mentors her colleagues by serving as a resource for teachers on the math curriculum and developing professional development activities for teachers. She also coordinates the America Reads/America Counts program at the school. Ms. Iehl is the liaison for Dr. Howard and the University of Illinois teacher preparation program. In this role, she recruits prospective mentor teachers and assists with training those mentors.
Whiteley is the 11th-grade English teacher at Central High School in Champaign. Kara's nominator said, "This year, Kara went above and beyond her usual duties by taking on the responsibility of developing and successfully implementing a brand-new course and curriculum: the College Board AP African American Studies course. Kara has invited guest speakers from district leaders, community activists, university professors, and former students to bring their expertise to her Central students. She worked tirelessly to make the new course relevant, rigorous, and rewarding for the students.
The CUSF Shining Star Recipients are nominated by their peers and exhibit exemplary service, extra effort, enthusiastic attitude, and innovative ideas that benefit their students. All Shining Star recipients will receive a $250 cash award and a $250 CUSF grant for their classrooms in the upcoming fall.
